When All Purpose Is Lost
by Ai-shi
Summary: "Why is my life so miserable? Is there such a thing as a happy ending?" How dark can two lives get? How much pain can one suffer before one finally breaks down? What will happen when Heero and Relena meet under unexpected circumstances?
1. Default Chapter

When All Purpose Is Lost

**When All Purpose Is Lost**

By ~*Ai*~Wing

Chapter 1 

Relena hated her life.At school, she would have to hide behind a mask all the time so that no one notices what's really happening.She dreads being home in the house of horrors.Her father is always stressed and drunk.He always puts her down and beats her.Her mother is no help.Actually, when her father is not around, the one giving Relena misery is her mother.She screams at her and makes her do all the chores.Sometimes, her parents are so nice and supportive.Other times, they are like monsters from Hell.

She's really surprised that she's able to keep up her social status when she is so occupied with the troubles at home, she doesn't have much time to spend with her friends.Relena's problem at home is one reason she never invites friends over…she really hates her life.If only…if only she could find her _real_ family…

A teenage boy quickly and silently shut the door behind him.His intense blue eyes darted around to see any traces of _him_.Seeing no one, he took off for his room.He finally got to the sacred protection of his room.

*Sigh* Heero didn't know why he had to live like this.His mom was so fed up with his dad that she filed for divorce when Heero was only five years old.Surprisingly, the court granted his dad with child custody since he was the one with the steady job back then.From then on, his dad had interfered with any contacts made with his mother.

He hated his dad to the gut.That man had a low paying job, was an alcoholic, a drug user and he was a player.The sleazy women he brought home were such a pain.Some of those sluts even tried to hit on him.When he was young, his father abused him whenever he was on drugs.Now that Heero is a teenager, his father didn't do so anymore because he knew his son could fight back and in return, beat the crap out of himself.Still, Heero is forced into working part-time whenever he could and he had to listen to his own father yell and curse at him.A loud bang of the door broke into Heero's thoughts.

Damn, he's home earlier than I expected.I better sneak out before he notices I'm home. Heero quickly grabs his backpack and jacket and climbs out the window in his room.

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_A.N. – Well, here's one of my first shots at fan fiction.Tell me if you think it's good and I should continue or tell me all of this is sh*t and that it's pointless.(Please don't be too harsh when flaming!)Anyway, thanks for reading!_

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, period._


	2. Chapter Two Angst and Cursing coming up!

When All Purpose Is Lost

When All Purpose Is Lost

By ~*Ai*~Wing

Warning: It gets really…I don't know how to say it but be prepared for lots of swearing and angst. It's sad, really.

Chapter 2 

Hey Relena!Wanna go to Casey's today after school?" asked her friend, Dorothy.

"Sorry, I can't." Relena replied wistfully.

"Is that bitch giving you giving you a hard time again?" Dorothy asked.She was the only one who knew of her 'problems'.She found out after seeing Relena's cheek bruised one day.

"I've got to watch Timmy and Carly today."

"I feel sorry for you, Rel." 

"I'll be fine.Have fun at Casey's."

"I will."

*****Sigh* It was the third time she had to recline an offer from a friend this week.

Ugh, I hate this.I hate this! Relena fumed as she was on her way home. 

She wasn't ready for the situation at home though.Both her parents were home.

Great. She thought.

"Liza, where's my sh*ting tie?" She heard her father holler.

"Damn it, man!Can't you take care of yourself for one minute?It's here." Her mother shot back.

All of a sudden, her father walked right into Relena.

"Damn, you stupid bitch!Watch the f*ck where you're going!" Her father screamed and pushed her hard down on the floor.Relena tried to hold in her tears as she started to get up.

"Stop, you lazy bitch!I'm not done with you!"

Relena feared for her life so she ran into the bathroom and bolted the door.Her father banged on the door.

"Open the goddamn door, you f*cking little whore!"

Relena stopped the screams from escaping from her lips as she covered her ears.Unluckily for Relena this time, her father broke down the door.He dragged her out by her hair.

"No!" She screamed as he slammed her onto the floor and punched her.

"Stop it, Robert!We'll be late." Her mother yelled.

"You lucky little bitch.I'll get you when I come back."Her father then stomped away.

Relena's mother then came up to her.

"Get your lazy ass off the floor!You still have a lot of sh*t to do!" Her mother spat at her.Then her mother pulled her from the floor forcefully, slapped her hard across the face and shoved her into the kitchen.

"I better see this place spotless and your brother and sister fine when I get home or you'll be sorry!" Her mother hissed at her before both of her parents went out the door.

Relena's parents were going to this party and weren't going to be back until well after midnight.That means Relena will be safe until then.However, they'll be grumpy and drunk when they come back…Relena was so scared that she just curled up into a tight ball and cried.

Another tiring day. Heero thought as he packed up his stuff to go home.

"Hey, Heero!Want to go to the arcade today?" His good friend, Trowa asked.

I don't want to return to that Hellhole…and I'm done all my work… 

"Alright, let's go." Heero agreed.

The two boys headed to the arcade together.

It wasn't until seven-thirty that Heero returned home. 

You little bastard!Where've you been?" his father hollered.

"At the arcade." Heero replied coolly.

"Well, go and fix my f*cking dinner.Make it good, we have company." His father yelled.

Heero sighed.Another stupid bitch was over.He went into the kitchen.He'd rather tell his father to mess with his women elsewhere, but he didn't want to risk getting kicked out of the house right now.He got out some thawed chicken, sprinkled on some spice he grabbed off the shelf and popped into the oven.He also fixed some instant mashed potatoes and vegetables.Dinner was ready about half an hour later. 

"What took you so damn long?" his father yelled.

"I don't know how to cook with magic, _father_." Heero stated coldly.He would have rather gone somewhere else to eat his dinner; however, his father made him sit at the dinner table.Heero was sitting across the woman his father had brought home today.She was dressed in skimpy clothing and was giving him weird looks.Suddenly, Heero felt her foot rub against his own.

What the hell?What is this dirty 'woman' trying to do? Heero asked but knew quite well what she was doing.Heero prevented his thoughts from being heard.Finally, Heero couldn't stand it anymore.He stood abruptly. 

"Excuse me." He growled through his teeth.He took his half finished dinner into the kitchen.Then he started to head upstairs.

"Hey, where the hell do you think you're going, you little asshole!" His father boomed.

Heero just ignored his father and continued up the stairs.

"Get back down here you crazy son of a bitch!" his father screamed.

That did it.Heero rushed down the stairs.His father threw a punch towards Heero, but he stopped his dad's fist.Then he grabbed his father by the collar.

"Don't you ever dare call my mother a bitch again!" he spat angrily at his father.He then released his father's collar and calmly headed up the stairs and slammed his door.

"Ooh!Don't you have a feisty boy!He's just as handsome as you are too." The woman said with a seductive tone.

"Well that mother f*cker's never up to any good."

His father grunted as he sat back down in his seat.

A.N.What do you think of it?Sorry with the swearing for anyone offended…hehe…Anyway, feel sorry for those two.Things will work out better later on. As always, glad to hear any comments.

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_Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is not mine, end of story._


	3. Chapter 3: Relena's Past

When All Purpose Is Lost

When All Purpose Is Lost

By ~*Ai*~Wing

Chapter 3 

Relena got up from her position on the floor and headed to the bathroom.There, she splashed water on her face.She finally looked at her own reflection in her mirror.Pity was felt for the image looking back at her.Relena saw a girl with honey blonde hair that was slightly tangled.Her eyes were red and puffy and one side of her cheek was red with what seemed like a handprint imprinted on there.There was slight swelling on her forehead, which was likely turning into a bruise.A single tear fell from Relena's eye when she realized that the girl looking back at her was no other than herself.

She could still remember the day when all this Hell was first unleashed.She was very young then, but the movie still played in her head as if it had just occurred yesterday.

"Mommy, can I go look at that dolly?" A four-year-old girl asked.

"Ok, honey.You can wait there for Daddy and I.Milliardo, may you go with your sister?" the mother asked.

"Sure, no problem." He replied as he went to hold his sister's hand.Then they disappeared into the crowd.

"Stay close to me Rellie.Ok?" he whispered to his sister.

"Sure, Millie." She replied with a smile.

When they reached the toy store, they went straight to the window where the doll was displayed. 

The little girl's eyes shone as she looked at the doll.

"She's beautiful…" She said with awe.

"Why don't we go inside, Rellie?" The older boy asked.

Then they both walked into the store hand in hand.

What greeted them left them astounded.The big toy store had everything a child could want.There were trains running on the track around the top of the store.Teddy bears and robots waved at the children from their display.There was a huge mountain of stuffed animals.There were different toys and gadgets the children could test out and play with.The oohs, ahs and laughter of the children filled the store.

"Ok, we'll look at the dolls first, and then we'll look at the models.We should have enough time before Mom and Dad come for us."

Seeing his little sister nod, they set off to their destinations.First, they spent at least twenty minutes at the doll aisle.Little Relena touched each one and squealed with pleasure every single time.Her brother, Milliardo, smiled at the scene.Finally, Relena signaled to her brother that she was ready to go.They headed to the section where all the models were placed.Relena took great interests in the models, but she was too young to understand how to build them yet.Milliardo released her hand from his grasp to inspect the newest version of the model he so badly wanted to buy.Before he went to inspect the new model further, he looked down at his sister.

"Don't go anywhere, Rellie." He said sternly.After receiving a reassuring nod, he went back to looking at the box in his hands. 

Relena started looking around.She looked at the trains and the robots.Her glance was finally directed towards the mountain of stuffed animals.There, sitting on the top of the mountain was a light brown teddy bear.His eyes were shiny and black.His smile so sweet.A beautiful blue ribbon was tied around his neck into a bow.Right when this particular bear caught Relena's eye, a smile that was ever so brilliant, lit up on her lips.She looked up once at her brother.He was still very busy looking at the models. I'll just go and take a quick look.Millie won't notice… Quietly, she headed towards the humongous mountain as she blended into the crowd. 

Milliardo looked at his watch. Father and Mother are probably going to come for us soon.We need to head back to the window. He put down the model and sighed.He'll get it next time. 

"Come on, Rellie.Let's go." He reached down for his sister's hand.Nothing was there.Thoughts quickly tore through his head.Was she kidnapped?Had she wandered off?

"No!" He quickly told himself. I'm just scaring myself. She's right here where you told her to stand. He took a deep breath and looked down and around.His speculations were right…his sister was nowhere in sight.

Milliardo quickly went through each aisle in the model section.He didn't find her.Fear was evident in his blue eyes.Dolls! he thought as he raced to the doll section.He finally got there…but she was not there either.He frantically searched section after section.She was nowhere!! It was entirely my fault.I should have paid more attention to her. Milliardo finally decided to wait at the model section for the possibility that she may head back on her own.As he took a few steps backward, he bumped into someone.

"Oh!Milliardo, we were just looking for you."

Upon hearing that voice, he whipped around and found himself face to face with his parents. 

"Where's Relena?" His mother asked after seeing that he was alone.

Seeing all the emotions swirling in his eyes, his father got worried.

"Is everything alright son?" His father asked.

"No, it's not." Milliardo replied, not making any eye contact with his parents.

"?"

"She's gone…"

Relena finally found the mound of stuffed toys.There it was, the bear, sitting on the top.She slowly started to climb up the mountain, so that she could have a better look.Suddenly, she felt a tug on the strap of her overalls.She turned her head and was facing a salesperson.

"Where are your parents, little girl?" The lady asked.

Relena gulped and answered. "Over there." She said as she pointed to the big Lego model over on the left.

"Oh I see.You should really get back to them.It's dangerous to climb up so high." 

Relena nodded.The saleslady helped her down.

"Do you need help in finding them?" She asked.

Relena shook her head.She was pretty sure that she could find her way back to Milliardo.After all, she has good memory.

"Alright."Then the saleslady sent her off on her way.

Relena walked and walked but she never reached the model section.She got mislead and lost in the thick crowd of people.Tears filled her eyes as fear starting working its way inside her.Finally, as she was about to give up, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Little girl, are you lost?"

She turned to look at the person speaking to her.It was a middle-aged man.He was smiling and looked very friendly.She had no choice but to admit her mistake, so she nodded.

"Here, let me help you."He extended his hand and seeing how sincere he looked, she took it.As he guided her through the crowd of people towards the entrance, an announcement was being made.

"Dear customers.We have a missing little girl here and we want your help to find her.She is about four years of age.She has honey blonde hair and aqua-blue eyes…"

Relena never noticed or even heard the whole announcement as the stranger walked outside of the store, holding her hand.

Relena shuddered as she thought back to the fateful day.It was her curiosity the got the best of her.Another tear slid down her cheek.How she missed her family!They gave her love, care and comfort.She looked back at her reflection and gently touched the forming bruise.She winced at her own touch.Then Relena headed to the kitchen for some ice.

"Relena!We're home!" She heard a yell from the door.She sighed as she put away the ice and went to prepare snacks for her siblings.

**_A.N._**_:Hi!Sorry for taking so long, but my computer got screwed...(long story) Thanks for reading my fanfic!!!Well, here's a little blurb on Relena's past.Heero's will come like somewhere after so keep reading for more!Thanks again for all the positive support I have received.If you have any suggestions as to where you would like this story to head towards, then e-mail me or tell me in your reviews.Thanks again and until next time, ja ne! _

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**_Disclaimer:_**_ Me no own Gundam Wing…_


	4. Chapter 4: An Escape

When All Purpose Is Lost

When All Purpose Is Lost

By ~*Ai*~Wing

Chapter 4 

Relena was done all her chores and homework.Now she was reading a magazine while her younger brother and sister were hogging the T.V.She was skimming through it when something caught her eye.

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_"Having problems at home?Always have to deal with abuse from your parents?Call 1-800-HELPME1!There is always someone to answer to answer your call 24/7._

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_SCFA__Ó_

Something lit up in Relena's mind but she quickly shook her head at the idea.Then she went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.After the three of them had dinner, Relena helped her brother and sister bathe and get ready for bed.Then she tucked them in.She finally had some free time to herself.

She flopped down on her bed and looked at her alarm clock.It read 9:30 p.m.She still had plenty of time before her parents come home.Suddenly, a thought popped up in Relena's head.

No…could I?Yes! Relena quickly retrieved her magazine and flipped for the ad she saw earlier. Yes, this is it…my chance to escape from Hell. Relena hesitated before picking up the phone.She dialed the toll-free number. 

"Hello.This is SCFA's hotline for children with problems." The operator said.

"Hello…"

Bastard… Heero thought as he sat down at his desk.His father tended to blame his mother with everything.

"The only reason I'm stuck with you is because of her." His father said to six-year old Heero.

That irresponsible bastard. Since Heero finished his homework early, he had nothing to do so he decided to surf the Internet.Suddenly, an ad popped.Heero read every single detail with care.That's it!My escape. Heero quickly picked up the phone and dialed the number. 

"Hello?"

"This is the hotline from SCFA.How may I help you?"

Tonight was the one time that Relena smiled from her heart.SPCA had made arrangement for her to stay at their shelter for troubled children.It was only 3 blocks away.She could easily ride her bike their.She quietly packed her backpack with the essentials.As she closed the door of her room she looked into her younger siblings' room.

They'll be safe…mother treats them like king and queen. The only reason she got abused was because she was the oldest and she was adopted.She thought of writing a note.

No.Relena will just disappear from now on. 

She smiled to herself and closed the front door behind her.

He started packing the necessities in a small duffel bag.He was finally getting out of this hellhole.Heero was so happy when they arranged for him to stay at their shelter.He was going to bike to the subway station and ride the subway there.He hoped that he would be able to sneak his bike into the subway.He would still need it after he got of at his stop.He took one last look at his room and refuge and climbed out the window silently and carefully…one last time.

**_A.N.:_**_Anyone relieved?Yup, this chapter was a bit short.Was it satisfactory?Until the next chapter!Please R+R!_

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**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own Gundam Wing obviously._

_(I'm getting tired of writing this every time, but I don't want to get sued, ne?)_

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**_P.S.:_**_ I have written a new fanfic about two weeks ago.It's just a one-part story.May any of you take some time to read it?Why?Because I only got one review ToTIt's not like really good but I want some feedback.Thanks a bunch!_

_The story is called 'As Rain Begins To Fall'…by me (~*Ai*~Wing)!!!_


	5. Chapter 5: A Belonging Place

When All Purpose Is Lost

When All Purpose Is Lost

By ~*Ai*~Wing

Chapter 5 

Relena felt the wind whip through her hair as she speeded down the road on her bike.She had never felt so much freedom in her life!The feeling was so exhilarating…Yes, Relena was finally free…Free from the grasps of Hell…Free from the torture and insults.This feeling resembled to that of a bird's…able to spread its wings and fly to any depth, any dimension…

I've finally grown my own wings…and for the first time in my life, I've been able to take off and fly out of the cage that's been confining me all this time…I can fly to the unexplored depths… Relena smiled.Yes, she was now truly free. Just one more block, and I'll reach my 'sanctuary'.Just one more block. She started to peddle faster at the thought and sped away to where she would finally be safe. 

Heero looked around him.There were very few people on the subway trains at this hour.That's the only reason he didn't get yelled at for sneaking his bike on.Luckily, there were enough people at the station for him to sneak it on unnoticed.Yes, his plan had been successful so far.As he rode to the subway station, he felt this rush inside his soul that he had never felt in such a long time.He looked around himself again and caught the stares of a few people.They were probably wondering how he sneaked his bike on and why he did it.They probably also wondered what a fifteen year old was doing out alone at this hour.Heero ignored them and continued his ride in silence and without thought.

_"Next stop, Main Street."_Heero looked up as the announcement came on.

That's my stop. He stood up and wheeled his bike to the door.The trains halted and the doors slid open.Heero wheeled his bike out of the train and out of the station.Whew, no one noticed my bike. He took in a deep breath of fresh evening air.The scent of freedom could be detected.Then, Heero hopped onto his bike and peddled off fiercely to his destination.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Relena plopped down onto her bed.It has been an hour since she arrived at the shelter.The lady was very nice and registered her immediately.Then she was introduced to her new roommate.It was a girl her age.She had hair that was dark with a bluish tint.Her dark blue eyes were sparkling.She still remembers the moment that she met her as if it had just happened a second ago.

**"Hi, my name is Hilde Schbeiker.I've been at this shelter ever since I was twelve.What's your name?"

Suddenly, Relena felt shy towards this friendly girl."Relena." She whispered.

"Relena?Well, it's really nice to meet you!It's been kinda lonely in a room all by myself."

Relena could only nod her head in agreement.

Then, Hilde smiled and took her up to their room.She started telling Relena all the rules applied at the shelter.Finally, Hilde left the room to give Relena some time to unpack.

"I'll take you on a tour of the shelter first thing tomorrow morning.I'll leave you to pack.Just in case if you're asleep by the time I come back, wake-up time is at 7:30 sharp.Ok?If you need me, I'll be in the 'teenage activity room'.Alright, see ya!"With that, her new roommate turned on her heels and left the room. **

Hilde was indeed very nice.Relena was already starting to love her new life.Sleepiness was starting to overcome the happy teenager as her eyelids became heavier and heavier.Before long, she fell asleep.

Heero could feel the warm water run through his hair and down his back.It felt so good, so relaxing.He can't remember the last time that he actually enjoyed his shower. Finally, a moment of peace. Heero thought as he thought back to when he had just arrived at the shelter.

**Heero wheeled his bike through the glass doors of the huge shelter.He had some difficulty trying to find his way here, but he was finally…here.Heero quickly left his bike by the door and walked up to the reception desk.

"Excuse me." He said.

"Yes, how may I help you?"

Heero started to feel a bit of a tingle…maybe it was caused by nervousness.Heero rarely felt nervousness, but somehow, he felt unsure of this matter.

"…I called earlier this evening and the Association made an arrangement for me to stay here."

"Ok, may I have your name please?"

"Heero Yuy."

Heero watched the lady type his name into the computer.

The lady started to talk to him while her eyes were still glued to the screen.

"You're the second one to be administered to this shelter today.A girl your age was just here about half an hour before you.What's with abusive parents these days?What's the world coming to?" The lady said as she shook her head.

After a few minutes, she finally looked up at him.

"Ah, there you are.Your assigned roommate is Duo Maxwell and you're staying in room 210 on the second floor.Your new roommate will explain things to you."

Heero nodded.As if on cue, a boy around Heero's age walked out.He had his chestnut coloured hair tied up into a long braid.His twinkling violet-blue eyes looked as if they were laughing.He had a big grin plastered onto his face.The boy walked up to him and immediately started speaking.

"Hi, I'm Duo Maxwell.Are you my new roommate?"

"Yeah, my name's Heero Yuy.It's a pleasure." 

"Well, don't just stand there.Let's get moving!"

Duo almost grabbed Heero and dragged him to their room.Heero managed to say a thank you to the receptionist before being yanked away by Duo.From then on, Duo started talking non-stop.He talked first about the rules applied here to get that out of the way.Then, it was endless friendly chatter.Heero had almost tuned Duo out before he excused himself to go take a shower.

"Go ahead!Take as long as you like!I know you must be tired, man!" Duo had sent him off to the bathroom. **

Heero turned off the tap and reached for his towel to dry himself off.He quickly got dressed.He found Duo to be very friendly, but also too talkative and annoying at the same time.He let out a small sigh before heading back to his new room.It would be a new refuge and a place for a new fresh start.The pressure on his heart was finally lifted at that thought. A fresh new start…that's away from Hell. He liked the sound of that. I've finally found a belonging place. 

**_A.N.:_**_ My beautiful format…ruined!!!Ugh!I just found out while rereading my own fics on the net. Well, from now on, I've indicated 'memories' and past occurrences with two asterisks at the beginning and end.What did you think of this chapter?He he, I finally finished the angst filled part of this fic.Well…at least I think so.I'll write more soon!Sorry if this or previous chapters were a bit short but you know, when I see an appropriate place to end this, I just have to end it there! Please R+R!!!_

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**_Disclaimer:_**_ Gundam Wing's not mine!!!_


	6. Chapter 6: A New Beginning

When All Purpose Is Lost 

When All Purpose Is Lost

By ~*Ai*~Wing

Chapter 6

"RISE AND SHINE!!!"Someone yelled.Sunlight streamed into the dim room as the curtains were being pulled off to one side.The warmth and comfort suddenly disappeared as her blanket was pulled from her bed.

"Ugh…"

She tried to open her eyes, but they were immediately blinded by the bright sunlight.An attempt was made to cover her eyes with her hand.Slowly, her vision came back into focus.Squinting, she saw a familiar face, yet a foreign room.The face appeared to be cheerful…very cheerful.

"Wake up, Relena."

"Where am I?"

"At the shelter."

That statement sent her back into reality.

"H…Hilde?"

"Yup.Had a good night's sleep?" 

"The best I'd ever had for ages." Relena stifled a yawn.She looked at the alarm clock.It was 7:35.That was new to her.She was used to waking up very early since she never could escape her horrible nightmares, so she'd rather face them in a conscious state.

Hilde was still in her pyjamas.

"I've washed up already.You can go straight to the bathroom." Hilde said with a smile.

Relena gave a slight nod, went to gather her necessities and headed towards the bathroom.

The shelter was funded privately, so the facilities were luxurious. The older children, mainly those above the age of 14, got to share rooms with one other person and have a bathroom for each room.The younger children stayed in rooms that could accommodate a maximum of 10 people and had a large bathroom to each room.No one knew for sure who funded this excellent shelter, but all the employees, volunteers and children were grateful to this generous soul.

"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHH" Heero had to hide the smirk forming on his lips as he watched Duo scream and jump up ten feet from his bed.

"Why the heck did you do that man?" Duo eyes were flashing with anger.

"You told me to wake you up at 7:30." Heero simply replied.

Duo looked at his alarm clock.It was 7:37.He was already running late and had no time to argue with his new roommate.However, he wanted to at least get back some justice.

"Well there's other ways of waking me up!" Duo hissed at Heero.

"Don't you think I tried?I called you, I yelled at you, I yanked your braid and shook you hard.I think I even smacked you.Nothing worked so I resorted to more serious measures…"

"Which was dumping a bucket of ice cold water on me?" Duo asked with sarcasm.

"Precisely." Heero answered.

"Now you got my bed and clothes and hair all wet!!!" Duo half scolded, half whined.

"You could use a blow dryer." Heero suggested.

"Yeah, yeah…Did you try tickling me?" Duo asked.

"Why would I do that?" Heero said.

"I can never resist a good tickle." Duo stated in an almost proud tone.

"I'll add that to my list of…"

"List of what?" Duo asked curiously.

"You better get your ass ready fast!Look at the time." Heero said, changing the subject.

"Oh crap!I'm really gonna get it now!" Duo cried as he ran to the bathroom in his boxers.

Heero had to hide another smirk as he watched the braided boy slam the door to the bathroom.

Duo was whizzing through the bathroom like there was no tomorrow.He was finally ready in slightly less than twenty minutes.He looked at his watch…uh oh.It was 7:59.He was supposed to be down at the mess hall by 7:50, and he still needed at least five minutes to get there.Duo almost flew out of the bathroom…to find his room empty.

"Heero…Heero?Buddy?" 

Where could he be? Duo thought as his eyes scanned the room.He finally came across a crisp white sheet of paper on the top of their nightstand.It was written in controlled fluid handwriting.

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Hey Duo - Gone down to Mess Hall already. Don't want to make a bad first impression.See you there. ~Heero

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That S.O.B. Duo thought as he dropped his pyjamas onto the floor and raced out the door, buttoning his shirt on the way.

At the mess hall, Duo's eyes scanned the crowd for Heero.Most of the other occupants have already finished half of their breakfast.Duo had picked up his breakfast first, afraid that there would be no food left if he had waited.Now, he was ready to strangle the mysterious boy he had just met yesterday.He could have been more considerate and waited for him.No, he just left him behind.Just as he located the mass of dishevelled chocolate hair did he hear something that made him freeze in his tracks.

"Maxwell!" 

Duo knew from that yell that Ms Harwich, the supervisor of the shelter, was not pleased.He heard the steady click of heels as the woman approached him from behind.

"Y…Yes?" Duo managed to stammer as he whirled around to come face to face with the lady.

"Can you explain to me why you are 17 minutes late for breakfast?" Ms Harwich asked sternly.

"I…Well you see…I mean…" Duo stuttered.

"Your roommate told me that you weren't feeling well, that your stomach was a bit upset…is that true?"

"Yes…" Duo replied meekly.

Ms Harwich cocked an eyebrow at the load of food Duo was carrying on his tray.

"Just filling up on some nutrients…" Duo said with a forced grin.

Ms Harwich shot him a suspecting look but let it pass.

Whew! He thought as he headed towards the mound of brown hair he had found earlier.

"Hey Duo." Heero said with no real expression.

"Hey, _buddy_.Why'd you leave me behind?" Duo demanded.

"Someone had to make an excuse.Why'd you think you were let off so easily?"

"…Thanks man!I'm really touched." Duo said with a silly grin.

"Whatever."

After breakfast, as Hilde promised, they took a tour of the shelter.It was really a beautiful place.The facilities were first rate and the furnishings were very eloquent.

"I would have never expected a shelter to be so…sophisticated." Relena whispered in awe as she took in the sight around her.

"Yeah, it's quite classy, isn't it?When I first came to the shelter, I thought that this was the best house I would ever live in." Hilde said.

"Well here's where we teenagers, ages above 12, hang out." Hilde said, gesturing to the big room on their left.

It was a large room with huge windows.There was a 51" screen TV and a big table with comfy chairs scattered around it.A magazine rack stood next to the couch on the right wall.Five computers were alongside the left wall beside the TV.A hi-fi system stood on the other side of the couch.The room's furnishings were welcoming but stylish.It was the ideal hangout for any teenager.

"Wow!Look at all these luxuries!" Relena practically yelled.

"Yup.The computers are all new and connected to the internet." Hilde informed Relena proudly.

"Can we stay here for a while?" Relena asked with a pleading tone.

"Let's see.I showed you the lobby, the mess hall, the library, the dorms, the church room, the children's wing…I think that's about it…ok, let's hang." Hilde said with a satisfied smile.

"…and as you know, the mess hall." Duo announced.

Heero actually thought the tour was entertaining.Why wouldn't it be with Duo as the guide? 

"Is there somewhere I could use the phone?" Heero asked.

"Uh…why do you want to use the phone?" Duo asked suspiciously.

"You said we go to a new school when we arrive at the shelter, right?"

"Yeah…"

"So I want to phone a friend.At least so that he'll know where I am."

"I wouldn't suggest that."

"Why?What's wrong with that?"

"Well, a rule is that we're not to reveal our location to anyone." Duo said uneasily.

"Because…"

"Because the person you are hiding from might find you."

"Did this ever happen before?" Heero asked out of curiosity.

"…Yeah." 

"To you?"

"No, to my ex-roommate.He had to transfer to another shelter in the end." Duo said sadly.

"Sorry to hear that." Heero said quietly.

"Still want to call your friend?" Duo asked.

Heero nodded. "My father doesn't know him and he doesn't know my father."

"If you say so man." Duo whispered and took him to where a few phones were in the lobby.

Heero pressed in a number and waited for someone to answer.

"Hello?"A deep quiet voice came through the receiver.

"Trowa, it's Heero." He said with a monotone.

"Hn."

"I've…run away." Heero could just imagine Trowa cocking his eyebrows slightly.

"Finally, eh?" Came a quiet answer.

"Yeah, to a shelter of some sort.Couldn't stand the bastard any longer.I'll be changing schools y'know."

"Well, let's still keep in touch."

Heero covered the mouthpiece and whispered to Duo.

"We can still go out of the shelter, right?" Heero asked.

"With a decent reason." Duo hissed back.

"Wanna hang at the mall tomorrow then?" Heero spoke into the mouthpiece once more.

"Agreed."

With that, Heero hung up the phone.

"You're going back to your old neighbourhood?" Duo asked with wide eyes.  
"Yeah…is there something wrong with that?" Heero asked with a slightly annoyed tone.

"No…I mean yes…I mean…Aren't you afraid of running into your dad?" Duo asked nervously.

"No.The bastard probably doesn't even know the mall exists.All he knows is his hellhole of a house, the local bar, the junkyard where he works at and that whorehouse he goes to practically everyday."Heero listed off.

"Well…alright.Hey, I didn't show you the Teenage activity room yet a.k.a. the 'Hangout'.Follow me." Duo said as he started to walk off.

**_A.N.:_**_ Wahoo!Okay, I don't know why I yelped for joy.Anyway, I lied.I told myself I'd let Heero and Relena meet each other in this chapter, but I'm getting tired of this particular chapter. Sorry, you guys (gals) will just have to wait!He he!Anyway, to those who read my other fic 'As Rain Begins to Fall' and gave me some feedback, arigatou!Until the next chap...~Over and out.~_

_ _

**_Disclaimer:_**_ For the 'who knows how many times', I don't have anything to do with Gundam Wing…well other that I'm their loyal fan.^_~_


	7. Chapter 7: First Aquaintances

When All Purpose Is Lost

**When All Purpose Is Lost**

By ~*Ai*~Wing

Chapter 7 

"I saved the best for last.Here it is, the 'Hangout'!!!" Duo exclaimed proudly.

"Hn."Heero took a look around.It was big and quite sophisticated.It was better than that room he had made his refuge over the years.He was certainly impressed.

"Well, don't just stand here gawking like an idiot.Let's go inside!" Duo said teasingly.

Heero shot Duo _A Look _before entering the room before them.However, before Heero had even taken a step in the room did he feel Duo rush past him and holler like a maniac.

"HILDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Babe, I've missed ya!" Duo yelled.Heero whipped his head around to see Duo rush over to a girl with blue tinted dark hair.Then he picked her up and swung her around.

"Duo, stop it!"Hilde exclaimed while giggling at the same time.

"Hey, Heero!Come over here." Duo shouted as he waved Heero over.

Heero took even steps toward the couch where the pair was situated.

"Hilde, this is my new roommate, Heero.Heero, this is my bodacious girlfriend, Hilde!"Duo introduced the both of them with a huge grin.

"Hilde Schbeiker, nice to meet ya!" Hilde said with her hand extended.

"Heero Yuy, it's a pleasure." Heero took her hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Now where's my r…Relena!!!!!!!!Over here!" Hilde exclaimed as she waved another girl over.

Heero turned his head around and saw the girl Hilde was waving over.She had honey blond hair, which she wore loose.It framed her heart shape face.She was petite and had the most beautiful aquamarine eyes Heero had ever seen.She took small steps towards them.

Relena had just come back from the washroom.Just as she entered the room, she heard Hilde yell and wave her over.She noticed a boy with bright violet-blue eyes and a long chestnut coloured braid beside her.There was another boy too.He had a wild array of brown locks and had a strong built.From the eye that was revealed, she could see a deep sea of intense blue.He seemed to have a mysterious aura surrounding him…and he was quite cute looking.

"Relena, this is my 'comedic' boyfriend Duo and his new roommate, Heero." Hilde said as soon as Relena had reached the trio.

"Guys, this is _my_ new roommate, Relena." Hilde said with a big smile.

"Duo Maxwell, m'lady." Duo said with his hand extended along with a charming smile.

"I'm Relena.It's nice to meet you." She shakes his hand and returns the smile.

"Heero, introduce yourself to the pretty-face!" Duo hissed at Heero and nudged him.

"Heero Yuy." Heero whispered as all he could do was stare at her…trying hard not to make it obvious.

"Relena." She felt a slight blush rise up to her cheeks as she extended her hand and he shook it.Then they both caught each other's glance.

"There, done with all the intros." Duo said.

"Well, what should we do now?" Hilde asked.

"I dunno…Relena, have any ideas?" Duo asked.

Relena shook her head gently.

"How about you, Heero?" Duo asked again.

"You know the place better than I." Heero stated.

"That's true…what can we do?We could visit the school grounds…so you'll be more acquainted with it when you two start school on Monday." Duo suggested.

"That was one of the truly good suggestions made by you, Duo!" Hilde commented.

"Aw, gee, thanks."

"Come on, what are we waiting for?Let's sign out." Hilde said and led the group to the reception.

Their school was about half a block away from the secluded shelter.It was in the wealthy neighbourhood of town.They finally got to the humungous school property.

The school itself was a large cement building with many large windows.The foyer area was completely glass…glass walls, glass ceiling…The school had three stories to it.The school grounds and gardens were neat and well maintained.It looked fairly new.

"Wow, nice school." Relena commented in awe.

"Yeah, it's a private school." Hilde agreed.

"Therefore, uniforms are mandatory." Duo added.

A slight groan was heard from Relena and Heero just stayed silent.

"We can't enter the school building since it is Saturday, but we can take you around the school." Hilde offered.

Both Heero and Relena nodded in agreement.

"Here is the outdoor basketball court.A lot of students hang out here after school." Duo started.

"Those big lush fields are the soccer and football fields." Hilde said, pointing into the distance.

"A little to the left is the baseball diamond, track and mini stadium." Duo continued.

"And a little to the right are the ball courts which include tennis and badminton." Hilde stated.

Then they walked to the other side of the building.

"This is our beautiful garden…and further back is part of our quad." Hilde said proudly.

"And as you can see, the main entrance and the parking lot." Duo said as they headed back towards the front of the school.

"On Monday, just go to the office and register as the new students.They are expecting you since arrangements have been made with the shelter." Hilde lowered her voice as she mentioned their present home.

"How about our uniforms?" Relena asked.

"The shelter has a good stock of them with practically all the sizes.We'll go tell them your size once we get back and it should be delivered by tonight.Tomorrow morning the latest." Hilde answered in a whisper.

"What are the means of transportation?" Heero inquired, speaking for the first time since they first arrived at school.

"Since we live so close, we could walk or skate or bike…I see you had an awesome MTB!" Duo half exclaimed.

"I saved my money forever to afford it." Heero replied, hiding his smirk.

"I only got a plain, old bike." Duo pouted.

"It's fine as long as it does its job." Heero said.

"You're right." Duo agreed.

"We'd better head back before Ms Harwich worries.It's almost time for lunch." Hilde broke into the boys' conversation.

"Lunch?Did you say lunch?Well then, we'd better head back!" Duo practically shouted.

The foursome started back towards their residence with Duo way in front of the others.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

"I want to sign out please." Heero asked the receptionist politely.

"May I ask why?" The lady queried.

"I want to purchase some new supplies for school on Monday." Heero lied.

"Well…are you going far to do so?" She asked.

"No, I'm only going to the shopping centre about a block away." He was lucky he passed by that centre when he first arrived.

"Is anyone accompanying you?" The receptionist asked.

"Yes, Duo is.Aren't you, Duo?" Heero replied while shooting Duo a look.

"I am?" Duo asked.

"Sure you are!You said you needed some new supplies too." Heero said while shooting a glare at Duo.

"Uh…yeah!I remember now." Duo managed to spit out while smiling.

"Ok, you two.Sign here and write down the present time and the time you expect to return."

After filling out the form, the lady let them go.Heero almost sighed in relief.Duo just wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Don't do that, Heero!At least tell me first!Alright, I see you in a while." Duo said as he almost walked off.

"No, no Duo.You must be mistaken.You _are_ coming with me." Heero said firmly.

"I am?" Duo replied nervously.

"She'll suspect it if we don't come back at the same time." Heero reminded him.

"But…"

"Don't chicken out on me."

"What?Oh, alright…you owe me a favour!" 

"Whatever." Heero felt the urge to roll his eyes as headed out the door with Duo tagging behind.

They had biked to the subway station and parked their bikes by the entrance, of course locking them to the railing first.Then they rode the subway to Heero's old neighbourhood and walked about half a block to the mall.It wasn't as glamorous as the mall near the shelter, but Heero had made plans to meet Trowa there since it was a usual hangout for them.They finally find Trowa seated at a booth in Bob's Diner.

Heero and Trowa both exchange greeting nods.

"Trowa, this is my roommate, Duo Maxwell."

"Duo, this is my companion, Trowa Barton."

The two boys exchange handshakes before everyone is seated.

"Hey boys.I see someone new.The usual?" A cheery voice said behind them.

"Hi, Catherine." Trowa greeted his sister, who was a waitress at the diner.

"Hi bro.Hey Heero, who's your cute friend?" Catherine asked.

"Hi Cathy, this is my new roommate, Duo Maxwell."

"Hi Duo.Heero, sorry for what happened." Heero shrugged at her sympathy. "Ok, what can I get you?"

"Yeah, the usual for Trowa and I…Feel free to eat all you want Duo. My treat." Heero simply said.

"Really?Anything I want?Ok, I want a Double Cheeseburger with a super size fries and gravy.Then I'll have a medium coke and a super large special-of-the-house sundae, please." Duo read off the menu.

Catherine looked amused as she took the order.Heero almost regretted that he told Duo to 'feel free to eat all you want'.

"Is that all?" Catherine asked.

"Thanks, Cathy." Heero said.

They watched the waitress head towards the kitchen.

"So, you're changing schools?" Trowa asked quietly.

"Yeah…" Heero replied.

"Why don't you change schools too?" Duo asked.

"I don't live in the area.I can't afford to attend a private school anyway." Trowa answered.

"Oh."

"You can't leave Midii behind either." Heero commented.

Trowa nodded.

"Who's Midii?" Duo asked as the food arrived.

"Isn't it obvious?" Heero asked in an annoyed tone.

"No." Duo told him with his mouth full of fries.

"She's my girlfriend." Trowa told him.

"I see."

The boys start to dig into their meals.Trowa and Heero had both ordered a hamburger with small fries and a medium chocolate milkshake.

"You guys come here often?" Duo asked in between bites of his double cheeseburger.

"Often enough." Heero said.

"So, how should we keep in touch?" Trowa asks after a long silence.

"I could give you my number…Duo, is there a telephone where we can receive calls?" Heero asks Duo.

"Nah-uh.As I said, our location is kept as confidential as we can." Duo said while slurping his pop.

"Damn!" Heero opens up his wallet and checks his money. "I guess I'll have to get a cell." Heero shrugged as he replaced his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans.

"You have enough money to afford a cell phone?" Duo asked with his eyes wide open.

"I don't give that sleazy bastard much of my salary as a part-time waiter and other small jobs.Except for the MTB, I haven't many possessions.Even my computer was a busted one from my school that I fixed up.I save it up in my account." Heero shrugged again as if it were nothing.

"Does your dad know?" Duo asked, his curiosity kicking in.

"No."

They almost continued the rest of the meal in silence since Duo was so busy stuffing his face.

After Heero paid the bill, they decided to head to the Telephone Company where Heero can get a cell phone.He needed one now because he wanted to give Trowa his number immediately.

Finally, Heero leaves with the cheapest phone available and it has no plans.Which means he pays per 100 minutes he uses…no limits, no nothing.

"It's so weird looking!" Duo exclaimed.

Heero shot Duo a death glare.

"Don't worry, when _I'm_ done with this, it'll look better than the newest model." Heero told Duo.

"We'd better head back." Heero said.

"We still have like two hours!We left the place at like 10:00 in the morning and you said that we'd be back at 2:30 or so.It's only 12:25!" Duo stated.

"It's better to get back early than late." Heero said.

Heero was about to wave goodbye to Trowa, but he suddenly felt a firm hand holding him back.Heero sensed trouble.He whipped around to find him face to face with no one other than…his own father.

**_ _**

**_A.N.:_**_ Ohhhhh!!!!What's gonna happen now?*Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!* (Crowd chants in background) Author sweatdrops.Ok, back to the point.Anyone satisfied with the chapter?Our beloved Heero and Relena finally meet!You ppl have been bugging me for ages for that to happen!I hope this chapter is long enough for some of you!Anyway, I'll try to get chapter 8 out soon!Until the next chapter…over and out. ^_~_

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I own Gundam Wing…**NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_


	8. Chapter 8: The Primary Solution

When All Purpose Is Lost 

**When All Purpose Is Lost **

By ~*Ai*~Wing

Chapter 8

Heero was about to wave goodbye to Trowa, but he suddenly felt a firm hand holding him back.Heero sensed trouble.He whipped around to find him face to face with no one other than…his own father.

"Hello, son." His father sneered.

Heero glared at with pure hatred.

"I see you're out with your…friends.Where've you been, boy?" Heero's father spat.

"It's none of your damn business." Heero hissed through his gritted teeth.

"My, my.Bad attitude.You have to learn to obey your 'master'." His father chanted with mockery in his tone.

Heero sensed the fright from Duo as he fidgeted.He also sensed that Trowa was nervous.How did he feel?Only hatred, that's all he felt.If it were a few years back, he would have been afraid.Now, he's angry, very angry.His hands started clenching up into fists.

"Leave me alone!" Heero warned.

"That's no way to treat your father." He said shaking his head.

"Oh, you're my father?I never even noticed." 

"How dare you say that when I was the one who brought you up all these years?I gave you a f*cking home and got you the sh*t you needed." Heero's father screamed.

"Really?You never treated me like a son.When I was young, every time you felt like it, you beat me and swore at me.You made me get a job when I was just eleven years old.I did all the chores and repaired everything while you came home late every night drunk and f*cked up!You and your women enter and exit the house whenever you want.Those sleazy bitches were your first priority.Is that how a father treats his son?I pay most of the bills.I buy most of my possessions.Have you, in anyway, supported me if you didn't have to?" Heero was seething.

"That's it you ungrateful bastard!You're going to get it!" His father yelled as he threw a punch at Heero.

Heero reacted quickly.He caught the fist and used it to flip his father onto his back.Then he used his foot to keep his father on the floor.

"Don't you know, never start a fight with a guy who's a better fighter than you are?" Heero shot at his father.

He lifted his foot and his father got up.Just as his father was about to land a punch did they hear someone instruct them to stop.

It was a police officer.Heero's father quickly retracted his fist.They were all invited to have a 'chat' at the police station.Duo and Trowa were invited to go along as witnesses.

"So kid.Who's the guy you were fighting with?" This police officer by the name of Smith asked Heero.

"My so called father." Heero answered with venom in his voice.

"You shouldn't hit your own father." Officer Smith said.

"I didn't hit him.It was purely self-defence." Heero stated firmly.

The officer cocked an eyebrow at this.

"Self-defence?" The officer asked.

"Yes.My friends and I were leaving when he came up to me and started bothering me.He then threw a punch at me so I had to stop it." Heero explained with an eerie calmness.

"So that's the story, eh?What's the relationship between you and your father?" The officer questioned.

"Not good."

"Well then, I have a reason to believe you are lying."

"What?!?"Heero practically screamed.

"I don't believe a father would start a fight with his own kid in public other than for discipline, especially when the kid's as old as you are."

"Well you're wrong.He's never liked me ever since I was born.I don't even want to waste my energy on him.You can ask my friends.I did not start the fight." Heero said coldly.

"Well your father said…" Officer Smith started to say.

"Didn't you see him throw his fist at me when you yelled for us to stop?" Heero inquired the officer.

"Yes, but I've dealt with problem kids like you."

"I am NOT a problem child."

"Ok kid, prove it."

"Look up for my record…oh sorry, I don't have one!" Heero said with sarcasm.

"Anyhow, I'll read you your rights…"

"What?That's absurd.You all know nothing but bullsh*t." 

"That's quite enough young man.Now pay attention.It's in my duty to remind you that you have the right to remain silent.Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…"

By then, Heero had completely tuned the officer out.He was in total disbelief.

"What do you know about this?"

The officer that was interrogating Duo was short and fat.However, his presence made Duo squirm in his seat.

"Well, nothing really.I only met Heero yesterday." Duo sputtered as he gulped.

"You're going out with a kid after you supposedly just met him?" The officer shot at Duo.

"Y…Yeah, we became fast friends."

"How'd you meet him?"

"He arrived at the shelter last night and became my roommate."

"What shelter?Homeless?" 

"No!A Children's shelter."

"What's that?"

"It's a shelter where kids go to escape from abuse and harassment."

"Is there a way I can contact the place so that I know you're not lying?"

Duo fidgeted.Crap, we're going to get into trouble for going somewhere we weren't supposed to. Duo thought as he gave the shelter's number.

"How do you know the suspect?" A tall woman asked Trowa.

"Suspect?"

"The boy that came in with all of you."

"He's not the suspect!His father should be for starting the fight."

"His father started it?" The female officer asked with a startled tone.

"Is that so surprising?" Trowa asked, seeing the officer's reaction.

"No.Well, yes.Why would the father bother him?"

"Because he ran away to a shelter.We accidentally ran into him and he started harassing my friend."

"Is your friend on good terms with his father."

"No, the poor guy's been abused by his father ever since I knew."

"Which was when?"

"I met Heero in grade 3."

"So he lived an abusive childhood."

"Precisely."

"Could that have triggered his outburst?"

"Listen woman…officer.Heero is innocent.What word don't you understand?His father has abused him ever since he remembers!He finally runs away to a shelter and he runs into his father.His father not only bothers us but also initiates a fight.You blame him for this?" Trowa burst out.

"Ok, I'll talk to my colleagues to see if they've come up with anything."The female officer sighed as she left Trowa in the interrogation room.

Infinity seemed to pass with each click of the clock.Each passing minute felt like a whole century.Today, in less than 24 hours, his world of freedom comes crashing down on him.He just sat there devoid of emotions.Was he supposed to feel angry or sad, nervous or scared?No, he would never feel sad, nervous or scared.They are going through with all this bullsh*t without evidence and in addition, he has committed no crime. Don't you bimbos know that we learn about law in school? He thought as he sat in that ugly and hard plastic and chrome chair.For the first time, he looked up to take in the surroundings.It was a dull room with a metal table in the middle.Two chairs, one was the one that he was presently sitting on, were lined up against the table, opposite from each other.He was aware of the one sided glass the made up almost half of the wall across from him.There was a security camera installed in the top left hand corner of the opposite wall.For the first time in his life, he felt betrayed, abandoned and he felt like he was living a nightmare.Actually, hasn't his whole life been a very bad and vivid nightmare?

A slight but sudden noise disturbs his thoughts.He looks up to find the door to the room open slowly.In steps a female officer.She is fairly tall and has blond hair tied up in a unique fashion.She looked stern yet understanding.The boy looked back down at his hands in his lap.He was tired of judging and reading people. At least it wasn't that idiot of an officer. He thought to himself.

"Heero Yuy, I presume?" The woman asked.

He looks up at the mention of his name.

"I'm Detective Sally Po." She introduced herself.He acknowledged this with a 'Hn'.

"You're really lucky to have such loyal friends." She said.

That particular statement catches his attention.

"?"

"Well, from the key witnesses, who were your two friends, and the other passer-bys, we have gathered much information that directs the cause of this incident away from you.I was also told by a Trowa Barton and hinted by a Duo Maxwell that your father has abused you throughout your childhood." Detective Po stated.

Heero didn't really like the idea that his whole private life was almost revealed without his agreement.However, he knows that it is for the best for this scandal to unravel itself.

"Is there any proof of this?" The female detective asks.

"…Yes." Heero mutters.

"Can you state what they are?"

"My scars, the tape I have of him screaming at me, the doctors notes, Trowa, our neighbour…" Heero said.

"Ok, we'll have a doctor examine your injuries and we'll need your tape, the notes and take an actual statement from your friend and neighbour.If we do have enough evidence, would you like to press charges?" Detective Po asks.

"Yes, I want to sue that maniac for child abuse." Heero said firmly.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

"Looks like we're going to have to read you your rights."Detective Po said.

"What?What did I do?That son of a bitch started the fight!" Heero's father screamed.

"There's no need to push the blame towards your son.We already have enough evidence to convict you of child abuse." 

"What d'ya mean?What evidence?" 

"For one, his injuries and the statements of two witnesses."

"The witnesses could be lying, and the injuries could be from some stupid sport."

"I don't think so Mr. Yuy.Now, let's begin.I am Detective Sally Po and I'm going to read your rights.I would like to inform you that you have the right to remain silent.Anything you say can used against you in a law of court.You have the right to have an attorney to be present…"

**_A.N.:_**_Hehe, had some of you fooled there, eh?Nah…I would never have Heero-chan arrested!Plus, they don't have evidence to do so!That dumb Officer Smith!Humph!Anyway, anything there unsatisfactory?Actually, I, myself, am not really satisfied with this particular chapter.I know some of you are probably saying, "She really screwed it up this time!"Yeah, I know, but that's why it took so long to post this.I couldn't get into Fanfiction.net either.It was even more crapped up before I fixed it to the present nasty state.*Sigh* However, if it's really that bad, I don't mind suggestions as to how I can revise this.One more thing (sorry I'm boring you with my note!) do you think I'm dragging this story or speeding things up too much?Personally, this is the closest I think I can do without boring ppl out of their minds, but I recently got a review saying I'm moving too fast…is that true?Please tell me when you review…thnx!Over and out ^_~_

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**_Disclaimer: _**_All I can say is I don't have the pleasure of owning Gundam Wing-_-;!_


	9. Chapter 9: Confide to Understand

When All Purpose Is Lost

When All Purpose Is Lost

By ~*Ai*~Wing

Chapter 9

"Did you know that what you did was truly unacceptable?Not only did you endanger yourselves, but your actions were stupid and heavily prohibited."

She saw the boys in front of her nod.

"You two will be 'grounded' for one month.That means no sign-outs during this period.Also, you are only allowed access to the library, cafeteria and dormitories for two weeks.Do you understand?"

"Yes…" The two boys replied, one monotonously, the other's voice was filled with disappointment.

"You two are dismissed."

They quickly filed out of the office.

"Sorry." Heero muttered to Duo.

"It's ok I guess.It isn't the first time for me.Well, I guess we were lucky she didn't assign us to do clean-up duty." Duo said cheerfully.

"You got your stuff…like uniform, backpack…you know, the essentials for starting school on Monday?" Duo asked as they walked back to their rooms.

"Yeah…I do."

"Alright, so we're all set for school tomorrow.It's gonna be great!" Duo exclaimed.

Is it? Heero wondered.Too much things have been happening lately, _too much_.

The schoolyard was teeming with teenagers.Most of them were well polished and acting sensibly.Heero had just finished fastening his bike to the bike rail.He gave a sharp tug on his grey blazer.Then he pulled gently on his navy tie. 

"Nervous?" Duo asked while he fixed up his own tie.

"No." Heero replied.

"Then why are you tugging at this and pulling at that?" Duo questioned.

"Can't a boy want to look good?" Heero said, almost jokingly.

"You, want to look good?Are you kidding me?" Duo asked with a snort.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Hey, d'you need help getting to the office?" Duo offered.

"I'll be fine." Heero confirmed.

"Alright then, see you!Hope we have classes together."Duo yelled as he walked away, giving Heero a farewell wave.

Heero proceeded to the main office.It was there that he ran into Relena.

She was wearing the girl's uniform, which consisted of a grey blazer, white blouse and a grey pleated skirt that barely reached her knees.With that, she wore ankle socks and dress shoes.A burgundy tie was around her neck.

"Hi." Relena said.

"Hi." Heero returned the greeting.

They both walked into the office.

The secretary looked up as the two approached the reception desk.

"Yes, how may I help you two?"

"We're new students here." Relena replied for the both of them.Heero nodded in agreement.

"Ok.I'll need you both to fill out these forms." The lady told them.

"But we've already registered." Relena pointed out.

"Have you?Well, I'll need your names then."

"My name is Relena…" Relena whispered.

"Relena…what's your last name?"

"Um…I don't…have one."Relena stuttered, her cheeks flushing.

The secretary gave her weird and questioning look before turning to Heero.

"And what is your name?" She asked.

"Heero Yuy."

"Ok, just wait a second.There, we've got your schedules printed out.Dear, you're lucky we only have one Relena in our school.Why don't you adopt a last name?"The lady commented as she handed them both their schedules.

"Um…yes, I'll consider that option.Thanks." Relena replied, quickly looking away.

Heero also nodded his thanks as they stepped out into the hall.

"So…what classes do you have?" Relena asked Heero to break the tension caused in the office.

"The basics…"

"Well, what do you have first?"

Heero glanced at the sheet in his hands."Principles of Mathematics."

Relena looked at her sheet too.

"Is your class in room 225?"

"Yes."

"Me, too.Great, we'll be in the same class!At least we'll know each other." Relena said with a smile.

Heero just acknowledged all this with a nod.

The pair started towards the stairs to their first class.

When they arrived at the classroom, they found out that Duo and Hilde were also in their class.After they handed the teacher their slips, they were not allowed to be seated until they introduced themselves.

"Class, may I have your attention?Today, two new students join us.We will start off the class with their self-introductions."He nodded his head at Relena.

"Hello, my name is Relena.Nice to meet all of you." Relena said shyly.

As she stepped back, she felt Heero take a step forward.

"Heero Yuy, it's a pleasure."

"Great, you two may take a seat.Now, class will begin." The mathematics teacher said.

Heero took a seat with Duo and Relena took a seat with Hilde.As Relena walked to the back where Hilde was seated, she felt snickers surround her and stares on her.However, Relena quickly shook away those feelings. I must be scaring myself.Most of my bruises have faded and the ones that haven't, I've covered with make-up.They have nothing to laugh about…right? 

Class itself, was very boring.Hilde started gossiping with Relena.Duo started throwing paper balls and making faces when the teacher had his back turned.Not many paid any attention; most of them were sleeping, gossiping or laughing at Duo.

Actually, no one paid attention to class, other than Heero.He didn't really need to do so; the material wasn't all that hard.But he had nothing else better to do.Doing work was better than wasting time laughing at Duo's stupid jokes, or gossiping about the latest news around school.

Finally, class was over.The rest of the school day practically dragged on.Relena had noticed that she was in all of Hilde's classes and three of Heero's and Duo's.That fact made her feel slightly more comfortable, even if she had only met them during the past few days.

After classes, the boys met the girls at the quad to go back to the shelter.When Relena and Hilde got there, Heero and Duo were already there.Suddenly, a phone rang.Turns out it was Heero's cell phone.

"Hello."

"It's Trowa."

"Is anything wrong?"

"Yes…your father came to school looking for you."

"What did he do?"

"He started bitching about how you are a bastard…stuff like that."

"Damn!Would you please apologize to the principal for me?"

"Sure.Good thing you changed schools."

"Did he cause any trouble for you?"

"No.He was so drunk he didn't even recognize me."

"If he keeps up this shit, notify me ASAP."

"No problem."

With that, Heero hung up.

"OH MY GOD!What the hell did you do to your phone?It looks so damn cool!" Duo exclaimed.

"I told you. When I'm done with this, it'll look better than the newest model." Heero said slyly.

"You have certainly convinced me, buddy!I mean look at this…it's smaller than my palm, the colours are cool, it's lightweight…mind if you would turn my ratty bike into a MTB?" Duo inquired.

"I don't think I'll be able to do much to your…bike." Heero commented.

"It's been with me for years." Duo said defensively.

"Hey, guys.Mind if we get going?" Hilde asked the two with an annoyed tone.

"Sure babe.Anything for you!" Duo said with a droll grin.

Hilde just rolled her eyes as she took Relena's hand and led her out of the schoolyard.The boys then went to get their bikes and followed slowly behind the girls.When the foursome got back to the shelter, the girls and boys went their separate ways back to their rooms.

"You know Hilde?You can hang out with Duo if you want.I mean you don't have to feel like it's your responsibility to look after me." Relena told Hilde.

"Are you sure?I mean, you still aren't familiar with the place." Hilde asked.

"Well, then it's time for me to do some exploring on my own." Relena reassured Hilde.

"Ok, thanks Relena!" Hilde exclaimed as she jumped up to give Relena a hug.Then she was out of the door like a bullet.Relena sighed.She wished she could be as carefree as Hilde.She wished she could put down all the burdens from the past and live a normal life like she always wanted.However, there were always consequences, results to occurrences.She knew she would somehow heal…with time. Nothing to do…I guess I should do my assignments. Relena thought as she plopped down in front of the desk she and Hilde shared and started on her work.

_Knock, knock, knock._Soft knocks were heard on the door.Heero looked up from his work to answer the door.He opened it up to find Hilde there.

"Hi Heero, is Duo here?" Hilde asked with a smile.

"Wait a sec." Heero told her as he went to get Duo.

"Duo!Get out of that washroom!" Heero hollered.

"Hold your horses, man!" Duo yelled back.

"Hilde's at the door!" Heero called through the bathroom door.

At that remark, the door flew open.Heero had to suppress a chuckle.

"Really?Are you just tricking me to get me out of there?" Duo asked suspiciously.

"No.She's really at the door." Heero answered, wanting to roll his eyes.

"Oh crap, and I'm looking like a piece of shit!" Duo cried.

"Just go take care of your girlfriend."

"Do I look really, really bad?" Duo asked worriedly.

"No, now go!"Heero had to practically shove Duo towards the door.

"Ok, ok.I got the message…Hey babe, what's up?" Duo's tone changed quickly at the sight of Hilde.

"Well, I just wanted to know if you're free to just, you know, hang out?" Hilde offered.

"Of course!I always have time for you, Hilde." Duo said in a suave tone.Hilde giggled.

"Let's go, then!" Hilde said, dragging Duo out of the door.

"Bye Heero!See ya later!" Duo called back to Heero as the door shut.

What a funny couple. Heero thought as he turned back to his work.

Relena stretched out her arms as she finished the last page of math exercises.She was finally done all of her homework.What could she do with the time remaining?It wasn't time for dinner yet. Maybe I can check out the shelter's garden… Relena pondered on the thought.She had heard many residents talk about the beautiful garden at the back of the shelter.She just hadn't had the time to check it out yet.What a perfect time to do so. She thought.So then, she got her windbreaker and headed out the door, her destination being the mysterious garden.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

It was a beautiful, crisp afternoon.He took in big breath of cool, fresh air.The wind slightly tousled his unruly, brown hair.Heero was glad he came out for this walk.It was true; the garden had a magnificent beauty to it.Finally, Heero decided to tackle the hedge maze way at the back of the garden.He didn't mind a good challenge.It took Heero a whole fifteen minutes before he found his way to the centre of the humungous maze.It was certainly worth the time used to find his way through the maze; the sight was astounding!An elegant oak bench was situated under a large, magnificent maple tree.A miniature rose garden was to the left.To the right was a birdbath surrounded by lavenders and goldenrods; planted neatly in rows and sections.The sweet aroma of the flowers filled the air.Heero was pleased that he thought of bringing along a good novel as he decided to sit down on the bench and spend his time before dinner there.As soon as he sat down, he tackled his fantasy novel hungrily.Not long after he started reading did he hear a slight clearing of the throat.Heero glanced up quickly and caught the sight of wisps of honey blond hair.

"May I sit down?" The melodious voice asked.

"It's a free country, do as you please." Heero replied coldly, noting that the voice belonged to Relena-without-a-last-name.

Relena sat down gently beside Heero on the bench.She took note of the book in his hands.

"I didn't know you enjoyed fantasy novels." She commented, trying to start polite conversation.

"They're ok." Heero said.

"So, how did you find the first day of school?" Relena asked timidly.

"Good." Heero simply replied.

"It's a nice school isn't it?" Relena asked.

Heero nodded.

"And this shelter, it's very nice…nicer than any home I've belonged to for a long time." Relena muttered.

"I agree." Heero said, startling Relena.

"I see.You came here because home wasn't pleasant for you either?"Relena questioned Heero, suddenly feeling brave.

"No, it wasn't unpleasant." Heero told her.

"No?"

"It was hellish." He said in a grave tone.

"Do you…did you…ever wonder why I don't have a last name." Relena asked nervously.

"I guess for a second.Didn't want to embarrass you though." Heero admitted.

"Well, it's because…I don't want my father to be my father.I didn't want to take on the same name as that _monster_."

"He still is your father."

"**No** he isn't!!!"

That statement caused Heero's eyebrows to rise slightly.

"Who is 'he' then?" Heero inquired as he felt his curiosity rising.

"_He_…is the monster that turned my life upside down…" Relena whispered.A moment of awkward silence passed before Relena continued.

"He took me away from my loving family when I was only four…I don't know why the hell he did so, but he did.After that, the endless abuse started."By now, Relena's eyes had started misting over.

"Surprisingly, my life was not much better than yours."Heero said bitterly.

Relena looked up as a stray tear trailed down her tender cheek.

Heero looked down at the grass.He couldn't face Relena for some reason…it was all too hard.

"I remember one day…when the whole family was actually happy…the day wasn't filled with joy, but no one was yelling and there were smiles here and there.But that was the only 'good' memory from my whole childhood.At least you had four years filled with love before Hell unleashed on you.Ever since I remember, my father would be hitting me, and my mother would also be hit in my defence.It was all a never-ending nightmare I suppose.However, it just got worse when my mother couldn't stand it anymore and left the house…I was five then."Heero felt his whole body slightly tremor as those vivid, dark memories came swirling back into his mind.

"Why didn't your mother take you with her?" Relena asked, hoping that she did not hit a sensitive spot.

"She filed for divorce.At that time, _my_ _father_ actually had a well paying job and he was the owner of the house and such.My mother was qualified to get a good job, but _father_ was a traditional guy and he made her stay home to do 'what a woman was supposed to do'.At that time, she seemed incapable of taking care of a child.As much to his disliking, the court granted _my father_ child custody…why he agreed is still a mystery."

"That means both of us didn't come from wonderful homes.Well, obviously, or we wouldn't be here in the first place." Relena said slyly.

"Well, I know people who run away to shelters.They are really lucky…at least their parents still worry about them.My father only worries that he doesn't have me to boss around like a drudge." Heero said with a sad tinge to his voice.

"Look on the bright side, our painful childhood has enabled us to be more independent.Right?" Relena asked, trying to sound cheerful.

"I guess so." Was all Heero said in reply.

The two continued to sit quietly on the bench, both were deep in thought.

Why did I just open up to a girl who I only met a few days ago.What about her that I feel I can trust…not even Trowa knows the whole of my story. Heero thought.The question in his mind confused him in some way.He wasn't the open sort; he didn't like others knowing his weakness.However, somehow, he felt that Relena would understand… Yes, she _would_ understand.She was in a position similar to mine before…but I didn't exactly open up to Duo.Why?Maybe it's because she seems more understanding and definitely more serious.Is that it? 

Beside him, Relena also seemed troubled by something on her mind. Why do I feel so comfortable with Heero.I just let out all my misery in his presence.I've never done so to anyone, not even to Dorothy, nor Hilde.I've only just met him.What is it about this mysterious being that has drawn me to him?I just want to know. However, it does feel good to tell someone how I feel once in a while.Plus, I feel that Heero's the kind that would understand.We _did_ have similar experiences. 

Giving up her thoughts, Relena looked up at the sky to find the sun starting to set.She gasped in awe.That caught Heero attention. 

"What is it, Relena?" Heero asked.

"Look at the beautiful sunset.The beautiful colours woven between the silver clouds…it's such a breathtaking scene.Do you like sunsets?"

"I don't have much time to enjoy them."

"I love sunsets…it depicts such peacefulness and serenity." Relena replied dreamily.

Heero looked at his watch.

"Talking about sunsets, we'd better head back to be in time for dinner." Heero informed Relena.

"Oh alright.I would have liked to spend more time here." Relena commented with a sigh as she followed Heero back into the maze.

**_A.N.:_**_Hiya ppl! Long time no see!Anyway, sorry for taking so long to post this chapter.I had a pretty bad case of writer's block to start with, then Fanfiction.net starts being a bitch (no offence) and I can't even get on.Oh well, here it is.Isn't it cute how Heero and Relena confide in each other.Sorry if it's a bit OOC but I tried my best.Thanks again for reading and please R+R!!!Ok, gotta run, until next chapter, over and out. ^_~_

_ _

**_Disclaimer:_**_How many times do I have to make this clear?Me no own Gundam Wing! ~_~;;_


	10. Chapter 10: Bringing Justice 1

When All Purpose Is Lost

When All Purpose Is Lost

By ~*Ai*~Wing

Chapter 10

** **

"Are you ready to confront your father in court?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Heero replied firmly.

"Good…do you have a suit and tie, dress shoes, you know, the usual." The man asked.

"No, I don't."

"Well I guess I'll have to get you one then."

"No sir, is it really necessary?"

"It's always good to look your best before the judge." Heero's attorney explained.

"I can always rent one then."

"Actually, my wife has a few extra…looking at you, you may actually fit."

"Do you have a son around my age?" Heero asked, trying to make polite conversation.

"No, although I would like one.Well, you're probably wondering why my wife would have boy's suits.Her son would be around your age if he were here with us right now.She was always hoping that she'd meet him again some day.I wouldn't mind having a son around either."

"What happened to him?" Heero asked politely.

"My wife was forced to leave him.She didn't want to, but she had no choice."

They remind me of my mother and myself…but I don't think I'll ever be able to see her again. 

"What's wrong, boy?"

"Nothing, sir.Nothing's wrong."

"Alright then, I'll bring in the suits tomorrow morning for you to try on.This first hearing is in the afternoon."

Heero nodded.

"How does, 9 o'clock sound?"

"No problem."

"Ok, see you tomorrow, kid."

With that, the lawyer left Heero alone in the little conference room.

Heero was finally suing his father.The shelter helped arrange an attorney for Heero.After the incident at the Police Station, he got into trouble with the shelter, but they decided to help him as well.They arranged for a "big shot" lawyer to defend him in court.Mr. R. Carter, one of the most famous lawyers in the political and wealthy world.Mr. Carter was really a very nice man.He had the fatherly image Heero always wanted to find in his own father.Sighing (well, as close to a sigh as Heero would really get out), he stood from his chair and left.

"Look at you, son.Very classy…sure looked different from yesterday dressed in a suit." Mr. Carter commented.

"Thanks." Was the polite reply from Heero.

"I'm glad it fits.I doubt my wife would ever need these again." He said with a chuckle.

"Do you mind if I lend one to Duo?He would like to attend court with me."Heero asked.

"Sure, if he's your size.I don't mind if you bring a few friends along, if that makes you comfortable.Actually, all these suits I brought come in two sizes; one slightly larger than the other.Feel free to lend them to friends." 

"Thank you sir." 

"No need to thank me.Just be ready when I come for you at one o'clock this afternoon.Court starts at one thirty sharp.I think I can get four more of your friends in my limo."

"Thanks.Don't worry, we'll be ready for one."

"Great.See you later, son.Keep the suits for now.You'll need them."Mr. Carter said as he headed towards the shelter's entrance.

Heero looked at himself in the mirror.He had to agree with the lawyer, he did look different…almost like a snobby rich kid. What humour. Heero thought as he quickly changed out of the formal outfit and hung it up.

Just then, a sharp knock came on the door.Heero opened it and found Duo there.

"So, can I come to court too?"Duo asked.

"Sure.You have something to wear?"Heero asked casually.

"You know I don't.Anyway, can the girls come too?" Duo asked.

"Girls?You mean Hilde and Relena?"

"Yep.So can they?"

"I guess…if they have something to wear."

"Great, I'll tell them.About the outfit for court…"

"No worries, Mr. Carter said I can share them with you and Trowa.Trowa's coming in later on to put on a suit.He is a witness, as you know.He'll be here at around eleven o'clock.You'd better be here by then."Heero warned Duo.

"No problem.Ok, I'm going to tell the girls now!"And off Duo went.

Heero watched Duo run off before sitting down on his bed.Right now, he needed to reorganize his thoughts… 

_Knock, knock_.Two soft knocks were heard.

Hmm…who could that be? Relena wondered as she put down her sketchbook and answered the door.

"Hey Relena!" Duo greeted her cheerfully.

"Hi Duo, looking for Hilde?" Relena asked.

"Actually, I'm looking for the both of you." Duo said with a grin.

"Well, in that case, come on in." Relena gave Duo a queer look as she invited him in.

When the door was closed, she made sure that she took her sketchbook and put it in a safe place before Duo or anyone else saw it.

Just then, Hilde came out of the bathroom and saw Duo there.

"Hey Hilde babe!" Duo called out.

"Hi Duo.Anything special?" Hilde asked, getting straight to the point.

"Aww…you always know what I'm thinking.Alright, here's the deal.Would any of you lovely ladies like to attend Heero's hearing this afternoon?" Duo presented the offer.

"Yeah, I would like to go.I mean, all of us are on the same line.We all came here because our parents mistreated us at some point.I would like to see justice brought about.Relena, would you like to go?" Hilde asked.

"Sure, I guess so." Relena replied.

"Great, we'll meet you two at the front door at 1:00 o'clock sharp.Okay?"

"No problem, we'll be there." Hilde responded for the both of them.Relena was awfully quiet.

"Oh, and one more thing.Do you two have something decent to wear to court?" Duo asked.

"Ummm…No?" Hilde replied worriedly.

"Don't worry Hilde.I've got an extra outfit I can lend you." Relena said.

"Really?Great!Thank you so much!" Hilde exclaimed as she jumped up to give Relena a petite hug.

"Alright, I'll see you ladies later."With that, Duo showed himself to the door and left.

Relena sighed as she watched Duo leave.She was torn between her choices.She wanted to go and support Heero, yet she wanted to avoid the whole thing.Why was she so hypocritical?She was so indecisive.

"Relena?Relena, are you all right?" Hilde asked as she waved her hand in Relena's face.

"I'm fine Hilde.Just spaced out for a sec there." Relena replied with a soft smile.

"Is there something on your mind?It'll be easier for you to share your problems." Hilde said kindly.

Relena just shook her head firmly and proceeded to get her suitcase from under her bed.

And I thought I finally got through to her… Hilde thought as she went and helped Relena with the suitcase.

"How do I look?"Duo asked as he twirled around in the new outfit lent to him.He was wearing an expensive brown suit with a yellow shirt.His tie was burgundy and his black shoes shined.Duo looked absolutely charming in the outfit.

"Good." Heero replied monotonously.

Trowa gave him an approving nod. 

"Great!This fits well and I know I look handsome!Hey, a strand of hair is loose.I'll have to fix it." Duo looked annoyed as he stepped into the washroom and they both heard a 'click'.

Trowa was in a dark green suit with a cream coloured shirt and a dark and light green striped tie.He looked nice and tidy, just right for being in court.

Heero was in a navy blue suit.His white shirt was accompanied with a navy and blue striped tie.Both he and Trowa wore black leather shoes.

"I feel like I'm going to a ball or something." The quiet boy commented.

Heero looked himself over, making sure his impression on the judge will be good.

"I agree with you Trowa.We're making this a bigger deal than it's supposed to be." Heero said quietly.

Heero and Trowa hardly ever exchanged more than 10 phrases each time they see each other.They just understand each other without words or actions.After all, they have been friends for so long…

Just then, Duo stepped out of the bathroom.

"Ta-da!I'm done…Heero, man, you really gotta do something with your hair.It's really screwed!" Duo exclaimed.

"I think it's fine…" Heero started to say before Heero dragged him into the washroom.

"No it's not.It's just a bunch of strands all knotted over your head.Come on…"

That was what Trowa heard before a soft 'click' sounded.A twinkle of amusement sparkled in his visible green eye.

It was finally time to meet Mr. Carter at the lobby of the shelter.The boys were there waiting for the girls to appear.They still had about five minutes left.Just as they were getting slightly impatient did the girls make their grand entrée.They made an astonishing sight.Relena had her hair tied up in a pretty ponytail.She was wearing a dark blue, knee-length silk dress that was slightly off the shoulder.It clung to her curves nicely.Her feet were dressed in a pair of blue suede sandals.Hilde was wearing a blue, three-quarter sleeved shirt.With that, she wore a long, black skirt that fit snugly.On her feet, she wore a pair of black leather shoes.

Duo whistled."Hey ladies, you look divine!" 

Heero looked at Relena.She looked absolutely beautiful, yet she was conservative.He saw her smiling gently at him, and returned a very slight almost invisible smile to her.Then he realized that the girls have not met Trowa yet.

"Trowa, I would like you to meet Relena and Hilde.They are my classmates and friends at the shelter.Relena and Hilde, I would like you to meet my best friend, Trowa." Heero informed both sides.

"Hello, Trowa!" Hilde said cheerfully as she held out her hand.Trowa shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Trowa." Relena said warmly.

"The same." Trowa replied as they exchanged nods.

It was then that Relena took notice of Heero's look of the day.He was very handsome, and almost charming in the dark suit he was wearing.His hair was slightly gelled and had more control than it did before.The reflections off his shoe were like stars twinkling in the sky.There was a feeling of confidence and superiority around Heero.Relena quickly looked away to avoid having Heero notice her staring at him.

Suddenly, a honk was sounded.They looked out the glass doors to see a black limo parked in front of the shelter.Then all of them saw Mr. Carter waving from a rolled down window at the back.So, they quickly went out to join him.

"Ready to rumble?" Mr. Carter asked.

"Yeah!" Duo and Hilde yelled in unison.

That caused a giggle from Relena and a chuckle from Mr. Carter.

"Nervous, Heero?" he asked.

"No, sir." Was the short reply.

"You know you are, Heero.Don't be in denial!" Duo said in an almost singsong voice.Heero shot Duo an icy glare that made Duo hide behind Hilde.

"Okay kids, get into the limo." Mr. Carter said as the driver came to open the door for them.

One by one, they climbed into the beautiful limousine.Finally, they were ready to head to court.

"Wow, this is awesome!I have NEVER been in a limo before!" Duo squealed in excitement.

"Neither have any of us, Duo!" Hilde remarked.

"Well this is way too good!We get to wear nice clothes, ride in a limousine…what's next?" Duo said happily.

Heero looked at Duo tiredly. I wonder how does he keep on talking?This is going to be a long ride. 

It was fifteen minutes before they arrived at the courthouse.They still had about fifteen minutes to spare.Duo was really hyped up from excitement.Hilde was bursting with laughter from looking at Duo.Relena's face was pale and her lips were pursed.Trowa kept his eyes on the floor and kept quiet.Heero was looking around.He was really nervous, but he wasn't about to show it.He stuck his hands in his pockets to disguise his fidgeting.Then, Mr. Carter tapped him lightly on the shoulder.Heero turned on his heel to face the man.

"I'll be a few minutes.There's something I have to take care of.You can enter the courtroom in about five minutes.If I'm not back by then, just go in first, ok?"

"Sure, no problem sir." Heero replied. 

"Great, and good luck." The lawyer smiled gently in reassurance before heading down the steps in front of the courthouse.Heero watched his slowly disappear.Then, he turned to the rest of his friends.

"It's about time to go in." Heero announced. 

"Ooh, this is gonna be so cool…I mean…exciting?" Hilde exclaimed nervously.

Heero noticed the paleness that took on in Relena's face.

"Are you ok, Relena?Are you not feeling well?" Heero asked softly.

"…"

"Relena?" Hilde asked.

"…uh, yes?"

"Are you ok?" Heero repeated his question.

"…sure I am, I'm fine.Just a bit nervous being here." She replied with a nervous giggle.

"Ok…" Heero thought it was weird but he let it go.

Just then, he saw Mr. Carter heading up the stairs.However, something else also caught his eye.There was a silver Benz parked right in front of the courthouse.It wasn't the car that really caught Heero's attention. It was the person who was sitting in the car.She was a woman in her late thirties.Her rich brown hair was elegantly put up into a French twist.Her eyes were revealed before she put on her sunglasses.They were a piercing blue colour and were filled with compassion.

Heero stared in surprise.Trowa tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"It's almost time to enter the courtroom." Trowa reminded him.

An automatic nod came from Heero.

"Whatcha staring at, buddy?" Duo asked with curiosity.

He directed his own eyes to where Heero was intently staring.

"Yo buddy.That woman may be loaded, but she's too old for us." Duo commented.

Again, Heero nodded.

"Umm…yeah…" Duo said, confused.

Suddenly, the car started to pull away from the curb.

And so suddenly did Heero start to break into a run, flying down the stairs.

"What the hell are you doing, man?It's time to go in!" Duo screamed.

Heero didn't answer; he just kept running.He ran right past Mr. Carter on his way up.

"Where are you going, son?" Mr. Carter asked.

Heero just ignored him and kept running.

It soon became apparent that he was running after the silver Benz.

The car was picking up speed.

Stop!Please stop. Heero's mind yelled as he continued to run at his maximum speed after the car.He wouldn't give up; he can't give up.Pain started spreading from chest area, but he kept on running.His legs felt numb.Finally, the car drove away at full speed and Heero knew he could no longer try to keep up.He broke his run and stood there in the middle of the street.His hands were on his knees, perspiration rolled off his forehead, he was panting and longing for air to fill the whole of his lungs.He squeezed his eyes shut until his muscles, his whole body, started to relax.He stood there, trying to register the past events in his mind.Out of the silence, he heard faint footsteps, making their way towards him, slowly increasing in volume.Then he heard the voice loud and clear.

"What the hell do you think you were doing, Heero?" Duo voice yelled.It was obvious that Duo was angry, but also out of breath.

Heero could not answer.Everything at that precise moment felt so surreal.

Finally, he saw Trowa and Duo stop beside him, both panting.

"You know…it's time…for the…hearing." Duo said with exhaustion.He didn't feel like pushing his friend for an explanation right now.The hearing was the most important right now.

"You're going to be late." Trowa whispered. "Let's go back."

Heero gave a slight nod.By then, his breathing had returned to its normal pace.

Suddenly, a gasp escaped from Duo.

"What is it?" Heero asked in a hoarse voice.He was so tired.

"OMG!Your hair, your beautiful hair, ruined!I put so much effort in that.We won't be able to fix it, but at least comb your hair." Duo exclaimed as he handed Heero a comb.

Heero obediently took it and brushed out his hair.

"There, better.Now let's go, we're gonna be late!" Duo gave Heero's sleeve a slight tug.

Heero started walking back towards the courthouse.However, he couldn't help to give the street one last glance before continuing his way back to the hearing.

**_A.N.:_**_ Why was Heero running after that car?Who was the mysterious woman?Why was Relena so pale when she wasn't really involved in the whole ordeal?Find out in the next chapter of'When All Purpose Is Lost'._

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**_Note:_**_ Hi!It's me, ~*Ai*~Wing.To the loyal readers who've kept up with this story, domo arigatou gozaimatsu minna-san!This is my most successful fic so far!There's another story of mine that I'd like to recommend.It's called 'The Unknown Reflection' and it's also posted on ff.net!Actually, I'm pretty satisfied with that story so far, but it doesn't seem to impress anyone that reads it, not that anyone reads it!I was hoping some of you could give me your advice on the story, please?Thank you very much!Oh, BTW, I'm sorry that I took so long to update, but I've been really busy with school.I might not post the next chapter for a while since, well, it's getting really hectic.Gomen nasai!!!Until next time, over and out._

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**_Disclaimer:_**_ The usual disclaimer applies._


	11. Chapter 11 part 1: Behind the Scenes

**When All Purpose Is Lost**

By ~*Ai*~Wing

**Chapter 11 (part 1)**

"Here, take this and wipe the sweat off your forehead." Relena offered Heero a Kleenex.

"Thanks."  He took it and wiped his forehead.  He was cleaning himself up before the hearing after running so hard.

"Who were you chasing anyway?" Hilde asked.

Heero didn't answer and he didn't look at any of them.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Mr. Carter asked Heero.

Heero gave a slight nod and proceeded into the courtroom.

Relena could feel the butterflies in her stomach.  She felt sick, very sick.  She shouldn't have come, she shouldn't have!  She could feel herself regurgitating…

"Relena!" They all shouted after her as she bolted to the washroom, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Go see if she's okay, Hilde." Duo said.

"Sure." Hilde replied as she quickly hurried off to where Relena had run off.

"I wonder what's wrong?" Duo thought out loud.

"Maybe she's not feeling well." Trowa supplied.

"I keep thinking it's not that simple."  Heero said quietly.

"Well, anyway, we can't worry about that right now.  Just concentrate on what you're going to say." Duo advised.

Heero gave an "hn" before the boys got seated.

Hilde heard the toilet flush as a very pale Relena walked out of the stall.  She went to the sink and splashed water on her face.

"Relena, what's wrong?" Hilde asked worriedly.

"Nothing, Hilde, nothing." Relena replied in a shaky voice.

"Are you not feeling well?"

"No."

"Then what is wrong, Relena?  Tell me, you can trust me!  I'll swear to keep secret!" Hilde exclaimed as she held her hand up.

"I'm just scared…nothing else." Relena finally admitted.

"What?  You're scared?  Of what?  What can make you so scared?" Hilde questioned.

"Scarred memories…"

** "Relena, what happened to your face?"

"Nothing, Mrs. Appleby."  A seven-year old Relena was close to bursting out in tears.  She flinched as her grade one teacher touched the purple mark on her cheek.

"Relena, you can trust me." Mrs. Appleby coaxed.

"I…I got into a fight yesterday." Relena lied.

"Really?  It's not like you to get into a fight." Mrs. Appleby wasn't convinced.

"Even Dorothy can prove it!" She burst out…not knowing if she had said the right thing. 

"Very well, I'll call on Dorothy."

But Dorothy's words were not the same as Relena's.  Relena had told Dorothy the truth that morning after being questioned.  Of course, the truth came out to Mrs. Appleby.  

"Is that true, Relena?  Is it true that your parents hit you?" Relena's teacher demanded of her.

"No…" Relena denied the truth…she could not imagine what would result if she told the truth.

"Your parents are not here, Relena.   You have no need to be scared." The teacher told her gently. 

Still Relena would not open her mouth to respond.

"Alright, I'll give you five minutes to think your answer over." Mrs. Appleby said before she left Relena and Dorothy in the room.  However, before she exited the room, she gave Dorothy a look that begged her to persuade her friend into doing the right thing.

After hearing the door shut firmly, angry tears coursed down Relena cheeks and she swivelled on her heel to face Dorothy.

"How could you!?  I asked you to keep a secret and you tell Mrs. Appleby.  Why did you betray me?  I trusted you!" Relena spat at Dorothy.

"But Relena, I did all that for your own good!" Dorothy tried to explain.

"My own good!?  My own good!?  If my parents find out, they are going to kill me!" Relena exclaimed furiously.

"Do you want to get hit?" Dorothy argued.

"You don't understand!" Relena cried.

"No I don't understand.  I'm seven years old!  I shouldn't understand!  But I know you need help, and you're my friend!" Dorothy exclaimed.

Relena stayed quiet.  Not long after, the teacher re-entered the room.

"So Relena, what will be your answer?" Mrs. Appleby asked quietly.  

Relena remained still and silent.

"Did they or did they not hit you?"

Relena could only slightly nod her head as tears of fear and shame flow down her cheeks.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

It was so dark and cold in here…she shivered and made an effort to use her sore arm to push the tear soaked hair out of her eyes.  She held her knees under her chin, her feet propped up on the cot, as she heard cockroaches scurrying around near her.  She closed her eyes and tried to envision her nice, warm, comfy room.  Actually, it wasn't warm or nice at all.  It was bare.  The walls were white; there was a battered and hard bed in one corner.  In the other corner was an almost empty drawer…in front of the window with shaggy curtains, was an old desk.  A worn teddy bear sat on the bed beside the too soft pillow and the too thin comforter.  No, it wasn't comfortable at all.  But at least it was bug free.  The only part of that room she enjoyed was the window, which gave her a view of her neighbour's beautiful garden.  It was so colourful during summer…and so peaceful during winter.  The neighbours were Japanese, and their Japanese garden looked so serene covered in snow.  Of course, they also had a 'normal' garden filled with tulips and marigold, morning glories and many different kinds of colourful flowers.  In another part of the yard, they had a vegetable and herb garden.  

Mrs. Ito was a very nice woman.  When her brother had not been born yet, she used to go to the Ito's often to escape her misery.  They would spend the afternoon gardening, baking or just talking.  Her 'parents' never knew of their friendship.  When her brother was born, after he was old enough (which was just recently), she had been taking him along to Mrs. Ito's where he could play with young Ken Ito.  His brother never told their parents of their afternoons at the Ito's, as they both knew they would be forbidden to go if their parents ever found out.  It seemed like their parents wanted them to be loners.   She would lose every friend she made.  It became a habit…all her friends never met her parents, and vice versa.  As their neighbour, Mrs. Ito knew something was wrong in the house next door, and she asked her often.  But she could not tell Mrs. Ito the truth.  There were always consequences.  Mrs. Ito would never pressure her, but she would bring it up, once in a while.

Her back was really bothering her.  She knew it was all too good to be true.  She should have never told Mrs. Appleby the truth.  

Dumb Dorothy!   Relena thought.  What does she know? 

Her nightmare began the day after confessing that her parents did indeed abuse her.  They called for a meeting with Relena's parents.  They slowly hinted that they had abused their daughter.  Slowly, the tension rose until an explosion went off.

"What?!?   Did you just say that we abuse our child?" Her father had roared.

"Please sir, calm down.  This is just an investigation." The representative from the SCFA tried to gently explain the situation.

"Who told you?  Relena?" her father yelled in rage.

"Yes.  But we saw proof of abuse on her very own body." The representative said, starting to lose her patience.

Relena cringed…she wished the lady wouldn't say that!  She was eavesdropping outside the staff room with Dorothy.

"God help me!" Relena said.

"Don't worry, we're here!" Dorothy reminded her.

"I hope you're right."

Finally, after an hour of 'debate', it was decided that Relena was not abused so her parents were allowed to take her home.  As her parents slowly dragged her away, Relena's eyes begged Dorothy to help her.  Dorothy immediately went to reason with the teacher.

"Now, now, Dorothy.  We shouldn't make accusations without proof." Mrs. Appleby said tiredly, wearing a sour expression.

"But…" 

"No buts.  Go home and forget about this." The look Mrs. Appleby gave Dorothy was sympathetic…but it didn't help the matter.  She knew Relena was going to 'get it' at home.  She was sure Mrs. Appleby knew.  But they couldn't do anything without proof.  She looked straight into the fear stricken and desperate eyes of her friend, before she disappeared out of the building.  Maybe convincing Relena to tell the truth was wrong…maybe…but time cannot go backwards…right now, all Dorothy could do was pray for Relena's safety.

The next day, Relena limped into the classroom.  Her eyes were a dull blue, lifeless and dull.  That night, the first thing her parents did, when they stepped through the door, was punish her for her disobedience.  They were hitting her with something, perhaps a stick…she did not know.  The pain searing through her was too much too handle.  Then the worst pain came.  The object came flying down at her knee, and crack!  She let out a bloodcurdling scream.  

"Shut your f*cking trap!" Her father ordered angrily.  

But Relena couldn't stop…it just hurt too much.  He was about to hit her again when her brother walked into the scene and started crying.  They busily went to soothe him and left her alone in the small foyer of the house.  Her knee hurt so badly, and so did the rest of her…but the pain in the knee was too unbearable.  She could not get up.  However, she could not stay there.  Slowly, she half crawled, half slivered down the hall, and up the stairs to her room.  She didn't know how long it took to get to her room, she was grateful to her brother for keeping up his crying for so long.  Quickly, she bolted the door and pushed herself to get to her bed.  There, she changed, painfully, into her pyjamas and took a look at her knee.  It was starting to swell and turn purple.  She had no ice to soothe her injury, but she did have ointment stashed underneath her pillow.  She took it out.  Relena then gently messaged her knee before applying the ointment and rubbing it in, hard.  She gritted her teeth and pain shot up her leg.  She did not dare scream.  When she felt she did what she could do, she pulled up the covers and cried herself to sleep.

Relena didn't know how she got to school.  When she woke up that morning, she could feel a strong pain in her leg near her knee.  As her head cleared, last night's events came flooding back to her.  She tended to her knee.  It was swollen and a dark purplish colour now.  Relena rummaged for the ointment and applied it to her knee…it hurt like hell.  Tears stung her eyes but she kept rubbing.  She could not get rid of the bruise by being gentle.  When she was done, she felt like lying in her bed…she was so weak in the knee, but her absence may cause suspicion and right now, she could not afford it.  So, she dragged herself to the bathroom to prepare herself for school.  After she was ready, she managed to make her way down to the kitchen for a small (almost meagre) breakfast…as if her 'parents' would leave anything good for her.  She also made an ice pack for her knee.  Yes, even Relena would agree that she was mature for her age.  In this kind of household, you need to be mature and brave to survive.  She looked at the clock and knew that even though it was twenty minutes before the school bus arrives, she will have to start heading towards the stop.  It would take her at least twice as long with an injured knee.  She cleaned up the table and put away her ice pack before she stepped out the door.  Before leaving, she took her backpack and an umbrella for added support.

"Relena!  What happened to your leg?" Dorothy exclaimed.

Relena gently shook her head, her eyes still empty.

Dorothy gently took her shoulders and tried looking into her eyes.

"Please tell me…I'm your friend!" Dorothy whispered earnestly.  Relena didn't move.

"Here, I'll help you to your seat." Dorothy offered.  Relena did not accept her offer, but she didn't reject her either.  Dorothy led her slowly to her seat and helped her sit down.  For that moment when Relena bent her knee, pain flashed through her eyes as they watered, before entering that passive state again.  Dorothy worried about Relena; she had never seen her like this!  She knew that it was partly her fault for being a nosy person.

Relena felt like a robot all morning in class.  She did as she was told, but she did not feel anything but pain…everything seemed so surreal.  It did.  She couldn't concentrate, yet she was carrying out all her instructions.  Dorothy was questioning her all morning…Dorothy…she did not want to think about her right now.  She didn't have the energy to.  She heard a soft ringing voice in the distance before hearing Dorothy's annoying voice and feeling her gently tapping her shoulder.  She couldn't hear exactly what Dorothy was saying…maybe she chose to tune her out…but she heard Dorothy murmur something about recess and help…recess.  Relena hadn't considered that factor before going to school.

What should I do? Relena thought. 

She could not run around, but she couldn't just stay in the classroom without an appropriate reason.

Dorothy didn't wait for an answer from Relena.  She knew that there wouldn't be any.  Slowly, Dorothy took Relena by the arm and helped her up from her seat.  Pain once again ignited in Relena's eyes as they watered.  Relena bit her lip and struggled to walk without Dorothy's help, but secretly, she knew that it was next to impossible.  Relena gave in and let Dorothy help her.  However, an unexpected accident occurred.  Mrs. Appleby bumped right into Relena as they were heading for the door, and hit Relena's injured leg.  Relena hissed as she took a sharp intake of air.  Her eyes clouded over from the throbbing pain.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry Relena!" Mrs. Appleby quickly apologized, noticing the pain filled expression painted all over Relena's face.

"Does it really hurt that bad?"  Mrs. Appleby asked suspiciously.  She couldn't possibly have caused so much pain just by bumping into Relena.  "Let's take a look at your leg."

Relena quickly shook her head and jerked away her leg, causing another sharp pain to shoot up her leg.  She let out a little suppressed gasp.

"Relena, you've got to let me help you!" Mrs. Appleby coaxed.

Relena shook her head fiercely, but Mrs. Appleby already managed to lift the leg of her pants up.

"Oh my gosh!" Mrs. Appleby gasped in shock.

"NO…" and Relena started sobbing.

Hidden underneath her pants, was a purple and swollen knee with several long bruise marks along her leg.  Relena scrambled to cover up her leg, causing herself more pain.  But she didn't care.  If anyone found out, there will be more consequences.

"Did your parents do that to you?" Mrs. Appleby asked seriously.

Relena kept her mouth shut.  She would not break down this time.  However, the pain proved too much for her to handle.  Relena finally fell.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Relena woke up to find in horror that she was in the hospital.  The room was dimly lit since only the bedside lamp was lit.  Beside her were…her parents…with that fake concerned expression on their faces.  At the end of her bed, she found a woman in uniform and Mrs. Appleby along with the principal.

"She's awake.  We better get a doctor."  Mrs. Appleby suggested before exiting the room to get one.  

She felt long bony fingers hold her cold hand.  

"Honey, I'm so glad that you're okay!" Relena's mother exclaimed with tears in her eyes.

That high-pitched sugary voice.  Relena hated it.  The first year she spent with her new parents, that's what she heard everyday.  She didn't mind it then…she didn't mind it until things started to change.

"If you don't mind, sir and ma'am, I'd like to ask Relena a few questions…alone." The woman in uniform said. 

"That's fine with us, but we'd like to talk to our daughter alone for a minute.  For heaven sakes, she just woke up!" Her father exclaimed with great pity.

"Sure, one minute." Then both the uniformed woman and the principal stepped out of the room.

Relena was scared.  She did not want to be alone in the same room as her parents, but she did not dare say a word.  When she heard the door click shut, Relena tried to squirm into the mass of blankets, away from _them_.

"Honey, you don't' have to be scared of us.  We're your Mum and Dad!" her mother said in that high-pitched sugary tone.

No. Relena thought, You're not my Mom and Dad…you're monsters!   Relena stayed in the safety of the blankets.

"Now darling, we're not gonna hurt you." Her father said gently.  And gently, he pulled off the covers, revealing a weak, helpless and frightened Relena.  She looked into their eyes and she felt a shiver travel up her spine.  Their eyes were flashing with anger…and madness.  They were diabolical.  Relena let out a little gasp before her mother's hand came into contact with her cheek.  Relena let out a whimper.  Her father grabbed her wrist and twisted it.  

"Don't you dare make a sound!" he hissed.

"Did you tell them?" Her mother asked, slapping her a second time.

Relena shook her head, tears threatening to spill.

"If I found out that you've been telling, you'll never want to live again.  Do you hear me?" His father spat as quietly as he could and pinched her really hard on the arm.  

Relena let out a small squeak.

"Shut the damn up!" Her father ordered quietly.

"Is everything alright in there?" The 'mystery' woman called from outside of the room.

"Everything is lovely!" Her mother responded in her sugary tone.

The door slowly opened.

"Your minute's up anyway.  I've got a job to do."  With that, the woman in uniform escorted her parents out before shutting the door firmly.

"So Relena, how are you doing?" The woman asked.

"Fine." Relena whispered, keeping her head down.

"Let me turn on the lights…" The woman moved towards the switches.

"No!" Relena exclaimed, looking up for the first time since she was alone with the woman.

"Why?" 

"I like the dim lights." Relena explained quietly.

"Have you been crying?  Why are your cheeks red?" The woman questioned, noticing her face.

"No…isn't it a little warm in here?" Relena replied, shrugging off the woman's concern.

"Would you like me to open the windows then?" The woman offered.

"No, thanks."

"Well then, let's get on with the show.  I am Sergeant Joyce Po from the division of child abuse.  You may call me Sgt. Joyce, or Sgt. Po, whichever one you feel more comfortable with." The female officer said gently with a smile.  "I'd like to ask you a few questions, okay?"  The uniformed officer took out a notebook.

Relena nodded.

"I see you hurt your knee…what happened?" Sgt. Po asked, trying to be as indirect as possible.

"I slipped and fell." Relena answered without making eye contact.

"Did your parents know?"

"…Yes." Relena whispered.

"Why didn't they take you to the doctors?" Sgt. Po asked gently.

"I told them I was okay.  They helped me put some ice and ointment on it…Mum and Dad are nice people!" Relena lied.

"Are you sure?  They should have seen the severity of the injury.  Did you know that your knee could be seriously injured if you got treatment any later?" The officer explained.

Relena just shook her head to disagree.  No, this time she would not open her big mouth.

Sergeant Joyce Po frowned and shook her head.  She had never seen such a tight-lipped child in her whole career.  She was not going to get anything out of the girl's mouth today.  They would have to approach the matter in another way.

"Alright then, I'll see you later on.  Get a good rest, okay?"

"Okay, Sergeant Po." Relena replied without much enthusiasm.

Sgt. Po gave the girl a last smile before exiting the room.

Outside of the room, Relena's parents had eavesdropped and were beaming with smiles.

So after spending two days in the hospital, Relena was allowed to go home.  Sgt. Po asked her if she was sure that she wanted to go home.  In her mind, she wanted to escape the black darkness that awaited her at home, but she didn't dare say anything.  Instead, she gave Sgt. Po a reassuring smile and told her that she was sure that she wanted to go home.

Oh God, please save me. 

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

This is how she ended up in the basement.  Before she left the hospital, she was assured that they would help her and that no one at school would know about her situation.  She was relieved at that, but she was not sure that she was ready to ever accept help again.  Back home, her parents beat her again.  They slapped, punched, pinched…whatever they could do to punish her for almost revealing their dark secret.  Then they threw her into the basement.  They didn't want her to have any chances of associating with those 'bad influences'.  She had been trapped in that hellhole for a whole weekend.  

Would anyone suspect what was happening if I wasn't at school? Relena asked in her head.  She thought she was going to go crazy if she had to stay down there any longer.  Suddenly, she heard the doorknob jingle and a slight creak from the door.  

"Get up here you little bitch." Her mother called down.  So she quickly scrambled off the cot and up the stairs.  Her mother seemed to be in good mood. She grabbed Relena's wrist and yanked her out of the dark and dank room.  

"Go take a shower and get ready for school.  We don't want people to start thinking.  Go!" Her mother barked at her.  

She quickly ran up the stairs and into her room to get some clean clothes before entering the bathroom.  By the sounds of it, her father was already at work and her brother was waiting for a ride to school.  Good, she could enjoy her shower peacefully if her mom and brother left soon.  Not long after did she hear the front door close.  Quickly, Relena jumped into the shower and had a nice warm shower.  Then she got ready for school…brushing her teeth and hair, washing her face and getting dressed.  Finally, she took a last look at her reflection in the mirror.  What reflected back scared her.   Her face, arms, neck, legs were all bruised.  Her skin was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes.  How was she supposed to go to school like this?  Everyone would know for sure.  Without thinking for another minute, she grabbed her backpack and ran out the door and across to Mrs. Ito's.  She rang the doorbell and waited exactly one minute before the door opened.

"Oh hello there Relena, nice to see you…Oh my goodness, what happened to you?" Mrs. Ito exclaimed.

At that point, Relena couldn't hold it in any longer and started bawling on Mrs. Ito's front steps.

"Come in, child." Mrs. Ito ushered Relena in.

First, Mrs. Ito listened to Relena as she sobbed and finally revealed her dark secret.  Mrs. Ito was there to comfort her and helped her to dry her tears.  Then Mrs. Ito fixed Relena up with some make-up to hide her bruises.  After that, Mrs. Ito gave Relena some decent breakfast, which Relena took her time to enjoy.  Finally, Mrs. Ito offered to drive Relena to school since she probably already missed her bus.

At school, none of her classmates suspected anything.  They just thought that she was sick for a few days.  Relena sighed in relief.  So far, everything was going okay.  Then she got called down to the office.

Relena didn't know what to expect…she felt sick to her stomach with nervousness.  What was she called down for?  She didn't want to know.  When she approached the office, she sensed that something was wrong, but she continued to press on.  Slowly, she reached for the doorknob and turned it.

***

**_A.N.:_**_ Sorry, had to stop there…was getting pissed with this chapter…I think I'd never be done if I didn't stop here so I've now cut chapter 11 into parts 1 and 2.  Gomen ne about that but it couldn't be helped…I'm kinda brain dead and having a serious case of writer's block right now so please bear with.  Hope enjoyed chapter 11 part 1, ja!_

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Look up the definition of 'disclaimer' in the dictionary and you'll get my message._


	12. Chapter 11 part 2: Consequences

When All Purpose is Lost By Ai 

**Chapter 11 (part 2)**

*continued memory*

Slowly she reached for the doorknob and turned it. 

In the office, the beginning and the end of her nightmare awaited her.  Inside were the principal, the school counselor and Sergeant Po.  Sergeant Po was in casual wear today, not in her uniform.  She did not want to know why they kept pursuing this 'small' problem of hers.  Relena knew she could not crumble now.  She had to stay strong to survive.  Relena took a deep breath and prepared herself for the worse.

"Please take a seat," the principal gestured to the small couch to the left of the door.  She sat, nervously folding her hands in her lap...she was glad that she was allowed to sit; her knees were shaking violently.  The door was closed and her throat tightened.  Relena felt like a trapped animal facing its doom. 

"Relena, now that you've had time to go home and think things over, we'd like you to tell us the truth." The principal stated.

"Truth?  About what?" She squeaked.

Sgt. Po smiled.

"We just want to know exactly how you got that ugly bruise on your knee." She said gently.

"Well, all of us get hurt sometimes when we aren't careful." Relena replied slowly.

Smart answer. Sgt. Po thought, amused.

"You don't need to worry dear.  Did someone bully you?  Or hit you?" the school counselor coaxed.

"No, it was my fault." She said firmly.

She's not going to answer here if she's being interrogated here. Joyce Po thought.

"Relena, why don't we take you out to have some fun today?" Sgt. Po suggested warmly.

"But, I have school." Relena stammered, confused.

"Well, we'll give you the day off.  Mrs. Appleby won't mind." The principal smiled at her.

Relena gave a small nod, and took Sgt. Po's outstretched hand.

They went to the nearby fair.  Since it was on a weekday afternoon, there's wasn't too much people milling about.  Sgt. Po tried to act as motherly and friendly as possible, to gain Relena's trust.  The little girl was still very cautious and suspicious, but she loosened up as the day went by.  They went on the giant Ferris wheel and ate pink fluffy cotton candy; they tried their hands at the ring toss and won a teddy bear.  Relena even squealed in fright when they went into the Haunted House and laughed as they tried to make their way through the fun house.  The sun was warm with an occasional cool breeze and the sky was blue with some white puffy clouds.  It was the perfect day and Relena hadn't had so much fun for years.  As they sat on a bench to rest with their ice-cream cones, the two started talking.  

"Relena, I have a daughter too.  She's a bit older than you, would you like to meet her?" Sgt. Po asked.

"You have a daughter?" Relena asked, curious.

"Yup."

Relena was lonely.  She had friends at school but only Dorothy knew what was going on in her life, and she really didn't want to scare off Dorothy with her problems either.  Sgt. Po said that her daughter was older...maybe she could be the older sister she never had.

"Sure." Relena surprised herself with her answer.

"Great, I'm sure you two will get along just fine." Sgt. Po smiled.  Relena was finally acting more like a seven-year-old girl.

Relena looked around at the surroundings.  She heard laughter here and there and saw families with young children having fun; she smiled a sad smile.  Sgt. Po noticed.

"Relena, are you not having fun?" She asked.

"No...I had a lot of fun.  Thank you." Relena whispered.

"Then what's wrong?"

"I was thinking back to when Daddy and Mommy used to take my brother and I to the amusement park."

Sgt. Po frowned.  If her parents abused her, why would they take the siblings to have fun?  The nearest amusement park was pretty far away.

"You Mom and Dad took you and your brother?"

"No, my Mommy and Daddy." She replied with no hesitation.

What's the difference between Mom Dad and Mommy Daddy? Sgt. Po wondered.

"To an amusement park, not a fair?" She asked suspiciously and Relena caught on to her question.

"Yes...where are we going next."

"Why don't I introduce my daughter to you later?" Sgt. Po suggested.

"Okay."

They finished the last of their cones and headed towards the parking lot.

The car pulled up to a condominium.  After parking, Sgt. Po led Relena up to one of the apartments.  When they opened the door, Relena found the place warm, cozy and welcoming.  There were a few people here: two men and a woman.

"What's this place?" Relena asked.

"This is where we take well behaving children as a sort of treat.  You were very good today, so you may play with any of the toys here." Sgt. Po told her with a smile.

Relena smiled back.

"Relena, I'd like you to meet Officer Sean, Sergeant Paul and Officer Landy." Sgt. Po introduced the people there from left to right.  They all greeted her with smiles and warm handshakes.

"You're all police." Relena whispered.

The grown ups looked at each other, then nodded.  After receiving the fact, Relena visibly tightened.

"My daughter will be up shortly after classes are dismissed.  I'll take you to the playroom so you can start playing first." Sgt. Po took Relena by the hand and led her away.

A few moments later, the four officers entered the playroom where Relena was currently playing with dolls and a dollhouse.  

"Relena, why don't we talk for a while?" Sgt. Po asked and gestured for her to sit on the couch in the room.  She sat, hugging a doll fiercely.

"Who would you like to talk to?" The woman called Officer Landy asked.

Since Relena knew Sgt. Po more, of course, she picked Sgt. Po.  The woman officer stuck around while the two male officers exited the room.

"Can I ask you some questions?" Sgt. Po asked.

"Okay."

"What's the colour of this teddy bear?" She asked Relena while holding up a teddy bear.

"Brown."

"Good."

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three."

"What's today's date?"

"May the fifth."

"If you have two apples, and I give you five apples, how many apples do you have?"

"...um...seven?" Relena was starting to like this little game.  It was like those game shows she saw on television.

"Correct.  If you have five bananas and six oranges, and I took four bananas from you, how many oranges would you still have?"

Relena thought for a second.  
"...uh...six?" Sgt. Po smiled.  Relena was quite an intelligent child.

"Great!  We're done with those questions.  So Relena, are you having fun here?" Sgt. Po asked.

"Yes." Relena replied.

"Do you play with your brother?" Sgt. Po questioned casually.  

The smile faded from Relena's face.

"Sometimes." 

"How about your Mom and Dad, do they play with you?"

"No."

"Why?"

"They're too busy."

"Hmm...so most of the time, you take care of your brother by yourself?" 

"...yep."

"Do you ever get into trouble with them?"

Relena nodded after a long pause.

"What do they do about it?"

"They yell." Relena admitted.

"Do they ever hit you?" Sgt. Po asked carefully; however, Relena caught on to her intentions.

"Never." She replied firmly.  Relena had put up her guard again and they so close to getting through to her.

Sgt. Po sighed.

Suddenly, a girl poked her head into the room.  She wore her dark blond hair in pigtails and she had a friendly smile.

"Hi Mom!" She said to Sgt. Po.

"Hello sweetie.  I'd like you to meet someone.  This is Relena," she turned to Relena, "and this is my daughter, Sally."

"Hi!" Sally greeted Relena cheerfully.  
"Hi." Relena replied shyly.

"Why don't you play with Relena, sweetie." Sgt. Po suggested before both she and Officer Landy 

"Sure." Sally went straight to Relena and sat her down at the small table in the corner.

"Hey Relena, how old are you?  I'm twelve." Sally asked.

"I'm seven."

"Cool.  Let's play."

Even though Sally was only twelve years old, she usually liked to help her mother with the cases she was dealing with.  Children found it easier talking to another child.  Sally hoped to one day become a police officer, just like her mother.  So, this was good practice.

The two girls were drawing with crayons.  Sally looked over at Relena's drawing.

"Hey who's that?" She pointed to the drawing of a blond-haired, blue-eyed boy.

"That's Millie, my brother." She replied absentmindedly, concentrating on her drawing.

"Your brother?  How old is he?"

"...umm...I think he's eleven." She replied.

"Don't you have a younger brother?" Sally asked, curious.  Her mom had let her look at some information about Relena beforehand.  Her family consisted of a father, mother and younger brother.

"He's Mom and Dad's son, so I guess he's my brother.  But Millie, he's my brother." Relena sounded so sure of herself.

Sally let it drop.  She could tell that Relena was being totally honest with her and had let down her guard.

"So this Millie, he must be really nice to you." 

"Yup, he's the best!  I think of him, Mommy and Daddy whenever Mom and Dad is mean to me."

"Mean to you?"

"They hit me sometimes, but don't tell anyone.  When they drink stuff, they get mad at me and they become very scary...or if they are mad at someone else."

"Whoa.  Do they do anything to your brother?"

"No.  They are never mean to Timmy, only nice."

"Why?"

"Because...because...I'm not sure."

"But they're your parents."

"No silly, they are not my real parents, Mommy and Daddy are." Relena almost giggled at the silly thought.

"So you were adopted?" That would explain why Relena's Mother and Father outright mean to her.

"No, I wasn't adopted, I was..." Relena's eyes were wide open as she realized what she was about to say and she clamped her mouth shut.  Sally's eyes also widened.

In the surveillance room, the four officers had grave expressions on their faces.

"Was she abducted?" Officer Landy asked weakly.

"That's a very high possibility." Sgt. Paul said.

"What kind of people, no, monsters are her parents...they abduct a child to take their anger out on." Officer Sean shook his head in disgust.

"We've got to convince Relena to testify against her parents, but I don't think we'll get enough evidence to charge her parents of child abduction.  They could have forged adoption papers." Sgt. Po commented.

The four officers re-entered the playroom.  The two girls sat at the table, not moving.  Sgt. Po knelt in front of Relena and took her hand.

"Relena, you have got to tell us the truth." Sgt. Po pleaded.

"What truth?  I didn't say anything!  Mom and Dad can't get mad at me...I didn't do anything!" The girl ranted before bursting into tears.

Joyce Po gave the sobbing girl a gentle shake.

"Relena, we have enough evidence to lay charges against your parents.   You are safe with us, they can't hurt you!"

"Really?" She asked through sniffles.

"Yes, if you will tell the judge all about what your parents did to you."

"But I'm so scared." Relena started sobbing again in Sgt. Po's arms while Sally held her hand.

"Ssshhh...it's okay, it'll all be okay..."

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Relena smiled.  Right now, she was living in a home with other children who were like her.  The police reluctantly let her go back to her old school.  All the teachers looked at her with pity and sympathy, but Relena never noticed.  Sally came to visit her often, she felt so comfortable with her.  Sally was really like an older sister and one who could understand her past.  Sgt. Po...well now, Relena called her Sgt. Joyce, which sounded closer, checked in frequently.  Her parents were not allowed to come near her and she was thankful for that.  The trial was supposed to take place in a few days and Relena was confident that she would be able to escape the evil that held her in its grasp.

She had just parted from Dorothy and was skipping to the place where Cherrie, the woman in charge of her new home, was going to pick her and the other children up.  Suddenly, she felt a pair of arms grab her roughly and pull her into a dark, narrow alley.  She screamed and felt a rough hand cover her mouth.  Angry glinting eyes looked into her own.  It was her Dad.

"You little bitch, turning us in.  Do you know what's going to happen to Timothy if we're arrested?  He'll be damned just like you." He spat.

Relena's eyes widened, she hadn't thought of that.  But then, she was sure that they would be able to take him at Cherrie's place.  Relena would take care of him herself.  She glared at the man.

"Don't you dare glare at me.  Don't think that we can't hurt you.  You remember who's Mrs. Ito and Dorothy?  Well, if you go against us in court, I will kill them.  I will torture them and murder them.  Do you understand?  And it will be your fault.  I will kill them and they will die a painful death."

He put his hand around Relena's neck.

"I will strangle them and stab them and maim them and burn them and send them all down to hell.  Do you understand?!" He tightened his grasp on her neck.

She nodded, tears flowing from her eyes.

"If you do not want them to rot in hell and then come back and haunt you, you better not say anything in court." He growled.

He gave her a last malicious glare.  Then he let her go and she crumpled to a heap on the ground.  She watched him disappear into the shadows.  Of course, he wouldn't dare murder people when he's being charged for child abuse, but a seven-year-old didn't know that and she was scared out of her wits.

For the few days before the trial, she was quiet, deadly quiet.  Cherrie, Sally and Sgt. Joyce noticed that something was wrong, but Relena would not speak to them at all.  So they waited, and hoped that everything would go well in Court.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

It was finally the day of the trial.  Relena, accompanied by Sgt. Joyce and Sally, was dressed in beautiful new clothes, her hair neatly tied.  There were still faint bruises around her neck.  When she stepped into the courtroom, she immediately felt her legs go all wobbly.  Sgt. Joyce gave her hand a squeeze.  And they sat in the front row.  She could feel angry, diabolical eyes on her and she shivered.  These few nights, she had nightmares of her parents killing the Itos and Dorothy.  The maimed corpses dead eyes would be trained on her and their pained voices would ask why she was so selfish and cruel.  She shuddered at the memory.  The trial started soon and the interrogation began.  Finally, it was time for Relena to step up to the podium to testify.

Shakily, she stood there...and the twisted faces kept staring back at her...asking her why she was so selfish…she could hear her parents evil laughter and...

She couldn't take it anymore.

"No!" Relena yelled.

"No..." she backed away from the podium, shaking her head.

The lawyer tried to soothe her nerves.

"Relena, it's okay.  You don't have to be scared."

"No." She repeated.  "I didn't say anything, I'm a bad girl, I lied, nothing's wrong!" She was hysterical and she ran out of the courtroom.

When she was out, she sat down and sobbed.

Sgt. Joyce followed and sat beside the sobbing Relena.

"What's wrong Relena?  It's okay, let's just get back in there and get this over with."

"No Sgt. Joyce, I cannot be so selfish.  I'm sorry." Relena calmed down and pushed Sgt. Joyce away before running out of the courthouse.  

With Relena's denials, her refusal to testify and her hysterical state, they didn't have enough evidence to convict her parents of child abuse.  Later that week, she was allowed to return home no matter how reluctant the police were.  When she was first through the door, her parents whipped her with belts and kicked her and did everything they could to hurt her.  They threw her into the basement and starved her.  She was so weak that she just lay there on the cot, her eyes wide open and dull, silent tears streaming down her face, her whole being motionless.  She didn't know how long until she was let out of the basement, but her whole body felt numb.  Her parents went off to work but they would not allow her to go to school just yet.  They locked her in the house and made sure there was no way she could escape.

It was the second morning since she was let out of the basement...she nibbled on the little bread she could find.  She dared to peek out the window and saw that a moving truck was parked in the driveway next door.  Moving.  She went to the window and she didn't know how she did it, but she managed to yank it open...her parents must have forgotten about the kitchen window.  She ran across the lawn, panicked.  Relena skidded to a stop in front of Mrs. Ito, her arms carrying a heavy cardboard box.

"Relena..." Mrs. Ito said awkwardly, and set down her box.

"Are you leaving?  Are you leaving!" Relena demanded, her voice choked by her tears.

"I'm so sorry, Relena...but for Ken's safety," she looked at her child, and then at Relena's house, "we have to leave.  Please understand." Mrs. Ito explained gently.

"Why?  I need you!" Relena cried.

"Honey, I wish we could take you with us, but we can't and you know that.  I will pray for you, every night." She gave Relena a bitter smile.  Then she slipped some bills into Relena's hand, which Relena gratefully accepted.

"You've got to survive Relena, and we will meet each other again.  I believe in you and I'm terribly sorry but as a mother, I cannot endanger my son." 

All Relena could do was nod and cry.

"Be careful, be strong, take care." 

Mrs. Ito hugged Relena and gave her a kiss.  Relena could feel her misery and she tried to understand Mrs. Ito's situation...but it was hard...she felt abandoned.  With that, Mrs. Ito picked up the box and headed to the car.  Relena stood there, watching every last item being moved out of that once cozy home.  At last, it was time for the Ito's to leave.  Young Ken kept waving goodbye; Mrs. Ito looked downright miserable and looked wistfully at Relena.  Mr. Ito gave her a sympathetic look and a small smile.  Relena could barely raise her hand to wave.  She collapsed onto the sidewalk and bitter sobs wracked her aching body as she watched the Ito's car and the truck pull away and head their way to the new Ito home.  At that second, she felt empty and her heart broke.  She was truly left alone to fight the difficult battle against those demons that were her 'parents'.  

Sgt. Joyce did try to check on her to see if she was all right.  Every time, either Relena refused to see her, or her parents refused to allow any contact.  After many months, Sgt. Joyce had no choice but to give up.  Relena never saw her again.  She was seven years old, weak, helpless and abandoned. **

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Relena was sobbing with her back against the washroom wall.  Those memories...they were one of the worst in her life.  Hilde knelt beside her and hugged her, because she didn't know what else she could do to help Relena.  

"Just cry, let it all out." Hilde whispered.  And Relena did just that.

Somehow, over the years, Relena managed to train herself to forget that particular memory, and numb its pain.  However, the courthouse triggered her memory too effectively and she felt trapped inside those horrid memories of hers, unable to get out.  The whole environment suffocated her.

When Relena ran out of sobs, Hilde handed her a tissue.  She washed up and calmed down a bit.  Hilde looked a bit overwhelmed but she still managed to put on a smile. 

"I had no idea, Relena...I don't think my life was that bad now when I look back." Hilde said in effort to comfort her.  

"It's okay Hilde.  Maybe, you can share your past with me next time." Relena offered with a small smile.

"Maybe," was all Hilde said.

The two girls made their way back to the courtroom.  They could tell that the hearing had just started.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Hilde asked in concern.

Relena took in a deep breath.  
"I'll have to do this, someday...why not now?" Relena closed her eyes for a moment before opening her eyes again.  Shakily, she pushed open the door.  They both stepped in.

Relena could feel the room spin about her; she could hear muffled voices circle her and she felt eyes on her.  Her stomach lurched and the air hung, stuffy and suffocating...she could not go through with this.  Not now, not ever.

She ran out.

**_A.N.: _**_Whew, this was NOT deleted thank God.  If it was, I'd cry and cry and die…I worked hard on this chapter but I was getting fed up so if it's moving a bit fast or getting confusing, I'm sorry.  I tried, I really did.  Hope some of you appreciate it.  Ummm…poor Relena.  If any of you have any questions or flames, just send a review my way and I'll try to answer all questions through e-mail or the next chapter.  *sigh*  School is starting so I'll try my best to rewrite every single new chapter I wrote.  Darn.  Oh well, see you all soon!  Thanks for still reading!_

**_Disclaimer:__ I'm just borrowing the characters for my little story!  GW is not mine but owned by big big companies etc.  Hehe._**


	13. Chapter 12: Nightmares do they end?

When All Purpose is Lost 

By Ai

***Warning!*** – There will be some intense issues/content coming up towards the end of the chapter, please be warned!

Chapter 12 

He couldn't bear the screaming anymore.  He tried to tune it out…tried again and again, but it didn't work.  It pierced right through his barriers into his mind.  He couldn't stand it.  Not caring about anything else, he clamped his hands over his ears in a last effort to block out the horrible sound.  He squeezed his eyes shut but the horrible words still came at him with full force.  Finally, it started to fade as the source was being dragged away.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up while letting his hands drop.

"You okay?" Trowa asked.

"Hn." Heero replied and got up from his seat.  He could have never imagined how emotional such an experience could be.  The judge was giving some final statements.

"I need some fresh air." And with that, he slid out to the aisle and exited quietly.

**** *

Relena sat, holding her knees up to her chin.  Her hands still trembled slightly as she sat on the steps and focused on the pigeons that had flown down to eat some bread crumbs that someone had left behind.

"Relena, why don't I get you something to drink?" Hilde offered.

Relena nodded and mumbled a word of appreciation.  So Hilde left to find something drinkable and also to check up on the court proceedings.

Shivering, she rubbed her arms and looked up at the sky…the sun was still smiling down at her.  The warm rays were dancing across her skin, yet she still felt the shivers traveling up and down her spine.  Today had been such a disappointment and such a torturous trip.  Her eyes glazed over as she thought hard, directing her sight to the shiny marble reflecting the sun at her feet.  Suddenly, a shadow blocked the sun from reaching her and the marble stopped shimmering.  She felt another shiver before warmth spread through her shoulders and arms.  Finally looking up, Relena saw Heero standing there.  He had placed his suit jacket on her shoulders.

"Mind if I have a seat?" He asked.

"Go ahead." She replied, thankful for the warmth.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm ok.  Sorry I ran out like that." She was miserable.

"It does get quite suffocating in there, doesn't it." He nodded.

"How about you?  How are you doing?" She echoed his earlier question.

He didn't reply for a moment.

"I don't know." He admitted.

She lifted her head and looked at him.  It was finally noticeable to her that his complexion was quite pale.

"It was all very…unexpected." He said.

He looked at her.  Her eyes seemed to tell him that she understood what he was going through and he was suddenly curious about her.  To him, she was still somewhat mysterious…as he was to her.

"Life is so spontaneous when you least expect it to be." She gave him a small smile.  "Did everything go well?" She asked quietly.

"I'm not sure.  Ok, I think." He replied.

Then they just sat in silence, not really sure of what to say next.

"There you are, Heero." Hilde ran towards them with a bottle of water in her hand.  She reached them and handed the bottle to Relena.

"I didn't see you in there.  Is everything alright?" Hilde asked with concern.

"Yes.  I just needed a breath of fresh air." Heero explained.

"I see.  Well, I think they're on their way out soon."

"Hn."

"Heero, you okay dude?!"

Heero almost rolled his eyes.  Hilde's comment had been true.  He stood up and turned around to see the group heading his way.

"I'm fine." He said, frowning at Duo.

"Don't just run out like that.  Say, Relena, are you okay?" Duo turned to Relena.

"I'm fine…I'm wasn't feeling very well but some fresh air really helped." She gave them a small smile.

"What's with you two?  I mean, both of you go running out like court's gonna make you puke or something…"

"Shut up, Duo." Heero said tiredly.  Duo pouted.

"Why don't we just go home." Trowa suggested, finally speaking up.

"You kids must be quite tired," Mr. Carter agreed as he came up to them.  He turned to Heero.

"You have nothing to worry about Heero.  I thought it went quite well.  The judge will give a judgment at a later court date, but right now, you should get some rest.  I'll drive you all home."  He patted Heero's shoulder and gently pushed him towards where the car was waiting while the others followed.  They were all glad that a difficult day was over with.  All strength was needed to get through the upcoming ones.

**** *

He tossed and turned…his sheets were slick with perspiration.  His fist clenched around his covers, turning his knuckles white.  A groan escaped his lips.

"No…NO!" He jolted up from his bed, breathing heavily.  A groan brought him to reality as the figure in the other bed turned in its sleep.  He sighed, wiping sweat from his brow.  Looking at his alarm clock, he got up from bed and shuffled to the bathroom.  6:00 a.m.  He flipped on the light and closed the door behind him.  Turning on the tap, he splashed the ice cold water onto his face.  At least it was 6:00 a.m., not too far from his usual rising time.  This had been so unexpected…he hadn't had nightmares in quite a while, especially since he had arrived at the shelter.  Some people say court proceedings can get quite traumatic and he supposed that it held some truth.  He knew that if he went back to bed, he wouldn't get any sleep so he opted to start his day.

After finishing dressing, he decided to take a walk, get some fresh air and clear his mind.  He set out for the garden.  It would be quiet and peaceful there…a good environment for sorting his thoughts out.  He approached the maze and easily found his way to the center.  Slowly, he walked up to the bench and saw that someone was already there.  She turned around at his footsteps.  It was Relena.

"Hello." She murmured.

"Hi." He replied.

"I couldn't sleep, so I came out to watch the sunrise." She smiled, "and you?" 

"Just came out to think." She nodded before motioning for him to take a seat beside her.

The sun had just begun to rise from the horizon, its warm, golden rays spilling across the landscape.  He heard her sigh, a contented sigh.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" She asked him, her eyes sparkling.

"Hn." He agreed.

He looked at her and their eyes locked.

God, she's so beautiful. He thought as the sunlight framed her beautiful face and made her eyes and hair sparkle like stars.  He had never felt so good before, so happy…he had never experienced this inexplicable feeling before…it was quite breathtaking.  She looked surprised, awed and he couldn't help but lean closer to her.  

He leaned closer to her and she held her breath.  She couldn't pull her gaze from his deep blue eyes.  She yearned to search through their depths, and find her way inside Heero's mysterious soul.  Her heart raced faster than ever and she felt as if her heart was about to pop out.  She also leaned closer to him…it was as if she was attracted to him like a magnet…and then…

"Squawk!"

They jumped and quickly looked away, blushing.  A crow had startled them.  They both turned their eyes back to the sunrise, blocking out everything else.  Finally, the sun was in the sky.  Heero got up first and Relena followed.

"It's about time for breakfast.  I'll see you later." Heero said.

"Ok, see you later." Relena replied and Heero turned to walk back towards the building.

"Heero!" She called out, he stopped.

"Thanks for sharing the sunrise with me." Relena whispered.

"No, thank You." He continued on his way.  She stood there for a few seconds before following him back.

**** *

"Class, I would like to hand back your tests before dismissal."  Mr. Whitman announced and proceeded to hand the class back the tests.  After he had finished, Heero still had not gotten his test back.

"Mr. Grant and Mr. Yuy, I would like to have a word with you, the rest of you may be dismissed." Mr. Whitman stated before returning to his seat.

Heero shrugged, not knowing what to make of the situation.  He packed up his stuff and gave Duo a quick wave.

Mr. Whitman cleared his throat after both he and Raymond Grant had assembled themselves before his desk.

"Both of you have done extremely well on this test.  You have proven to me that you know a lot about the world during the 19th century.  However, you have also shown me that one of you cannot be trusted.  It would be wiser to admit to the crime now than later." He folded his hands and placed them calmly on his desk.

Heero was confused.  He didn't know what was going on.

"What do you mean, Mr. Whitman?" He asked.

"If both of you are choosing to keep quiet, then let me tell you.  Your tests were identical."

"You can't be serious, sir.  You aren't implying that I would cheat?  Why would I cheat off this loser?" Raymond Grant demanded.

"Who are you calling a loser?" Heero glared at the boy.

"Well, it's obvious that one of you did." Mr. Whitman showed the boys the two incriminating tests.

Heero was appalled.  He had worked so hard in this class and had studied for countless hours to prepare for the test.  It was true, all the answers and mistakes were identical.  He clenched his fists in anger.

"I did not cheat." Heero declared clearly and calmly in a monotone.

"Are you sure about that?" Mr. Whitman asked.  Raymond Grant smirked.  Heero could feel anger rise from the pit of his stomach.

"Of course I'm sure." He almost snapped, but didn't, opting to keep his composure.

"Mr. Yuy, how do you expect me to believe you if you've barely been getting 70's in your previous school and you come here to pull off a 95%?  Mr. Grant has always kept his average in the 90's."

"Can you be sure that this was not an exception?" Heero asked.

"I highly doubt it.  You will be receiving a zero on this test." Mr. Whitman calmly informed him.

Heero was overwhelmed by anger.

"This is unreasonable.  If you were to quiz me on any fact about the 19th century right now, I could probably tell you what you wanted to know whereas Grant over there wouldn't know a thing!" Heero bursted out in rage.

"How dare you!" Raymond Grant yelled.

"Very well, if you insist, though I think this is utterly pointless.  Mr. Yuy, if you cannot answer 18 out of the 20 questions posed, not only will you receive a zero, but you will also make a trip down to the principal's office."

"Fine, but I request that Grant also be quizzed."

"What?"  Raymond Grant visibly paled.

"Are you scared?" Heero challenged.

"No.  Never." He sputtered.

"Then let it begin." And Mr. Whitman began.

**** *

"Hey Heero, what took you so long?" Duo rushed up to him.  Relena and Hilde were also there waiting for him.

At this moment, Heero felt two emotions: anger and satisfaction.  He had been angry to find out that teachers were so discriminating in this school but it felt so good to prove them wrong.

"Well?" Duo asked.

"Good ol' Whitman thought I cheated off Grant." Heero replied icily.

"Are you serious?  We all know that you studied every day for that test." Duo exclaimed.

"So what happened?" Hilde asked.

"I proved to him that I was innocent and shoved Grant's pretty face in the dirt." Heero's expression was grim.

"Grant?  You mean Ray Grant?" Relena piped in.

"Yeah." 

"It's not your fault Heero.  Some teachers are so blind…especially since most of them know which kids are from the shelter.  They know we can't do anything to them.  We all know that Ray is Richard Grant's son.  Maybe ol' man Whitman was just scared of his dad." Hilde offered.

"It's all because of his old man.  Ray Grant is like nothing without him.  I mean Richard Grant is the president of that big computer corporation." Duo added.

"Thanks." Heero mumbled.

"At least you've proven your case.  Just as long as someone appreciates our talents…let's go home." Relena said softly, and the four teenagers headed back to the shelter.

**** *

Duo sighed and rolled off his bed.  Studying was such a pain.  He looked over to Heero who was at his desk, with the thick history textbook open in front of him.

"Hey Heero, want something to drink?" Duo offered.

Heero only shook his head in response.

"You don't have to work your ass off for Whitman you know."

Exams were coming up.  Ever since that day when Heero had left Mr. Whitman speechless, he had tried to somehow shoot Heero down.  Of course, all that work proved to be unsuccessful but Heero didn't want to be lose this battle of wits when he only had the exam left before the break.  

"You're neglecting all your other subjects."  Duo opened his Coke with a swift flick of his hand and poured the cool liquid down his throat.

"Why are you so concerned?  You should worry about all that caffeine you're intaking." Heero turned back to his studying.  Duo sighed again and ran his hand through his bangs.  He did not know how Heero did it…just sitting there still, studying.  Duo shook his head and stretched before climbing back onto his bed to study from the open textbook lying there.

**** *  
  


"Relena, are you studying?"

"No Hilde…what do you need?" Relena gently put down her pencil and placed her sketchbook onto her bed.

"Can you help me with this math question…I'm so sorry, Relena.  I'm always bothering you." Hilde rubbed her temples in a bit of frustration.

"Not at all.  You always help me in English class." Relena smiled at her.

"You know, you remind me of Heero sometimes." Hilde giggled as Relena blushed.

"Why is that?"

"Well, both of you are such bookworms." Hilde giggled again.

"It's worth the effort I guess, don't you think?"

"What do you draw in that sketchbook of yours anyway?  It's not the one for art class."

Relena blushed and swiftly put away her sketchbook.

"Nothing much really…just thoughts and images.  Now what was that question you wanted to ask me?"

Hilde shook her head.  Relena was still so secretive.  But she supposed that everyone had a right to their own privacy.  Hopefully in time, Relena would be able to trust more in her as a confidant. 

**** *

As time flew by, exams came and went.  Pretty soon, it was time to get the results of the exam.  The school buzzed with activity.  Half of that energy came from the excitement students were feeling prior to a big break, the other half came from nervousness about exam results.

"Duo, stop biting your nails." Hilde scolded him.

Duo shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants.

"I'm freaked out man!" He exclaimed.

"You should have studied more." Heero remarked.

"I did, you know that." Duo snapped at him.

"Sure…sighing all the time, pacing around the room drinking Coke…sure, that's what studying is all about."

"I'm sure you did fine, Duo." Relena said.

"Thanks Rellie." He stuck out his tongue at Heero.

"You don't seem worried at all, Heero." Relena commented.

"I bet he's shaking inside." Duo whispered.

"I heard that." Heero glared at Duo, making him jump.  "No, I'm not too worried.  I'm sure I passed."

"Me too," Relena said, "although I don't know how I did."

Just then, the voice on the P.A. system called for all Year 10 students to report to the gymnasium.

"Moment of truth." Hilde breathed out.  Duo groaned.

"Come on, let's go." Heero motioned for them to follow.

The separating wall had been opened up to reveal one large gymnasium.  Students were crowded around the long list posted across the length of the gym, trying to search out their names.  The foursome pushed their way to the front.

"Hey, I found mine!  Not bad." Duo exclaimed.

"I found mine too.  Yeah, I'm in the top twenty.  Woohoo!" Hilde jumped up and down.

"So Heero, Relena, how'd you guys do?" Duo asked.  He got no response.  "Guys?"

He directed his gaze to the spot where Heero and Relena's eyes were fixed onto.

"Are you kidding me?!?  You both tied for first?" Duo exclaimed.  A blush slowly worked its up way across Relena's cheeks.

"Congratulations!" Hilde gave Relena a hug.

"Wow, you beat Winner.  He's only 0.5 percent behind you guys.  And look, Grant's in sixth.  What a loser, he didn't even get into the top five."  Duo grinned and slapped Heero's back.

Heero glared at him as he jolted forward.

"How do you know all the people who ranked tops?"

"Who do you think I am?  Of course I know.  I know all the student numbers of the V.I.P.s in this school." Duo rolled his eyes.

Relena still looked a bit dazed as they were pushed to the back of the crowd.

"I…I can't believe it." She stammered.

"You better believe it, you worked so hard." Hilde said. "Anyway, we better get to our lockers and clean it out for the new semester."

The group headed towards the hallway, chatting happily, unaware of the numerous glares they received.

**** *

"I would've never thought that we'd come to this day when Grant would be knocked off the top five spots." Duo said in a sing-song voice.

"You know, you should just shut up.  What if he hears us?" Hilde whispered.

"So?  What can he do?  Beat us up?  Please, he's in enough trouble for getting caught cheating last time.  We know he's just papa's boy…the only reason he's still sixth is cuz he always cheats off Winner." Duo put his hands behind his head.

"Don't ya feel good Heero?  Revenge is so sweet, isn't it?" Duo sighed.  "Heero?"

"I thought he was with us." Hilde said, puzzled. 

Both of them turned around.  He wasn't there.  Neither was Relena.

"How'd they just disappear like that?" Hilde mused.

"Maybe they just sneaked out to have a smooch." Duo winked at Hilde.  "Come on, we'll wait for them at our lockers.  Maybe we can catch a smooch too."  

Hilde rolled her eyes but followed anyway, looking one more time behind her.

**** *

"Let go of me!" Heero growled as he broke loose from their grasps.  But it was no use, he was surrounded.

He felt a body bump into him, and saw Relena clinging onto his sleeve, petrified.

"What do you want from us?" Heero demanded in a low, dangerous voice.

"Very straightforward, are we?" A boy with a stick emerged from the shadows.

"Grant." Heero stated.

"You didn't think that I'd let you go so easily after what you did to me, did you?  And to think you took the top spot too eh?" He had an evil gleam in his eyes.

"Okay, you want to deal with me.  Why is she here?" Heero nodded his head at Relena.

"We want to deal with that bitch.  Got a problem with that?"  A few girls emerged.

"Janine.  I'm glad you could make it." Ray Grant said.

"What did I do to you?" Relena asked bravely, speaking up for the first time.

"What did you do to us?  You stole the attention of all the boys in this school, and you stole our position on the top ranks.  Who do you think you are?  You're just some whore from wherever." Janine smirked as she and her girls advanced on Relena.

"Don't you dare insult her like that." Heero roared.

"When did you get a say in this?" Ray punched Heero in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"Guys, don't you think you're going too far with this?" A voice spoke up.

A tall boy with blond hair stepped forward wearing a frown.

"Either you leave or you stay and shut up Quat.  This is not your area of authority." Ray growled.

The boy shut up but didn't budge.

A sickening thud resonated through the deserted hall as Heero's body came in contact with the cold, hard floor.  They were hitting him with baseball bats.  Heero would not give them the pleasure of hearing him cry out in pain.  He bit on his lip until he drew blood.

"Pretty stubborn, eh?  Well no matter how strong you are, I'm going to make you whimper like a dog." Ray and his followers laughed.

At this moment, the girls advanced on Relena.  They slapped her, kicked her and yanked her hair.  She finally couldn't stand it and cried out in pain.

"I knew I'd break you sooner or later.  You're just an ugly whore." Janine laughed.

Heero squeezed his eyes shut, he felt so helpless at the moment.  And then, he saw a reflection of something shiny.  It was a knife that was in Janine's hand.

"I'm going to make sure you're never attractive again."

Relena's eyes widened in horror as shook her head in disbelief.

"No!" Heero yelled, receiving more kicks in return.

Janine raised her hand and…

Heero had thrown his cellphone at her, knocking the blade out of her hand.

"Ouch!" Janine cried as her hand bled from contact with the blade.

"Janine, it's none of your business here anymore." Ray ordered.  
Janine pouted but obeyed and retreated with her followers.

"Please stop hitting him, you'll kill him." Relena could only manage to whisper hoarsely, a crumpled mess on the floor.

"You should know better than to mess with us.  I want you to suffer.  Since you're so concerned about this Relena girl, I'm going to torture you.  I want you to know that I'm untouchable.  I want you to know that you're just a f*cking piece of sh*t."

They stopped beating Heero and locked him in their grip.

"Get her." He growled.

The boys started advancing on Relena.  They pressed her against the wall.  She was sobbing.

Heero looked on in horror.

They tried to kiss her, to touch her as Heero yelled for them to stop.

"She's my whore now, Yuy.  Did you know, her skin's just as soft as it looks." Ray smirked as he slipped his hands up her shirt, running his hand up and down her back.  He breathed into her face.  She kicked him in the crotch.

"F*ck!" Ray hissed as he was bent over in pain.  He recomposed himself and slapped Relena hard across her face, making her cry out.

"I don't care if you rip all her clothes off and f*ck her again and again, I want you to break her." He growled in command.  His gang all advanced, with mad gleams in their eyes.

"No!" Relena whimpered.

Heero gritted his teeth, trying to break loose but failing miserably.

They started to yank at her tie, at her shirt and at her skirt.

Heero was enraged.  He clenched his fists.

"Stop it!!" A voice clearly rang, an angry and firm voice.  It was the blond boy.

"I told you to stay out of this!" Ray headed towards him.

"No!  You're taking this too far.  You're going to get them killed.  You were only supposed to scare them, not rape and assault them.  Are you out of your mind???  Are you insane?  Do you want to be a criminal?" He demanded.

"Why the f*ck do you care?  It's none of your business."

"Yes it is.  Why are you doing this?"

"It doesn't concern you what I do…I'll do whatever I want."

"I won't let you!!!"

The two boys started to fight, punching each other, shoving and kicking.  

At this precise moment, during the chaos, a scream of agony filled the air.

"Relena!!" Heero yelled, feeling tears burn his eyes.

"I didn't do anything!" One of the boys exclaimed and they all backed away from the girl with sudden fear.

Relena had collapsed and was shaking on the floor, her face as pale as a ghost's.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch the girl shaking violently on the floor.

Heero couldn't feel anything but pure rage and the immense pain in his heart.

"What the f*ck did you do to her!?!" And with that, he ripped free from the grips of the boys that were holding him back.  He started going on a mad rampage, punching, kicking, fighting people like he never had before.  With his bare hands, he flipped people on to their backs and gave them black eyes and bloody noses.  In a matter of minutes, all of them fled, with Ray Grant promising weakly that he'd be back.  

Heero stopped, panting before rushing over to Relena.  He scooped her into his arms, pulling her partly opened shirt closed.

"How are you Relena?" Heero asked, his usual monotony fading.

"It hurts Heero…" Tears were streaming down her face.

"Where?"  Heero looked around for blood.

"My…my stomach." She gasped.

"I know it hurts, hold on Rellie." He held her close.

"I'm so sorry." Heero's head snapped up at the voice.  It was the blond boy...and at that instant, he knew that the only reason why he had fought off those thugs so quickly was because he had helped.

"How is she?" He asked.

Heero looked him in the eye.  In his blue eyes was only concern.  Heero decided that he was sincere and could be trusted.

"…Quatre Winner, am I right?" He saw the other boy nod.  "We need some help."

"Okay, you stay here with her.  I'll go get the nurse." And he hurried off.

Heero brushed the sweat-soaked bangs from her forehead.

"I'm so cold Heero…it hurts." She choked.

He held her closer.

"Ssshh.  Quatre's gone to get us some help.  You're going to be ok."

He held her hand, and held it for the whole way, never letting go once.

**_A.N.: _**_ How was it?  Sorry for the delay in posting this but I only got a chance to finish this today since my exams are finally over.  I hope it wasn't too intense or disturbing...what happened to Relena and Heero.  I got shivers just writing about it.  But it goes to show that NO, it's not a fairy tale once they arrive at the shelter.  They still have to deal with the numerous obstacles that are ahead of them.  I didn't want the whole story seem like it was too good to be true.  And no, not all rich people are snobby and mean…Quatre is a very good example.  Anyway, hope you guys and keep reading.  Thanks for the support!_

**_Disclaimer:_**_ You know the drill._


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